03/24/2024
Land Use
NEW: The Planning & Zoning Commission discussed the HOME zoning reform on March 18, 2024. The beginning of the meeting is an overview of the staff report, while public testimony begins around minute 41. Assembly member Zaletel provides some final comments on the purpose of the HOME project around 1:42: “What is the opportunity cost of doing nothing?” Ultimately the case was postponed 60 days for the sponsors to combine the two existing versions, write any necessary accompanying comp plan amendments, and provide a clean package for public review in late April before the PZC makes their recommendation in May; then it will be expected to come before the Assembly in late June. This issue was also written up in the ADN, highlighting an apparent divide between economists/people hoping to find places to live and people hoping to preserve the status quo.
FAILED: Regulating Short Term Rentals. The assembly approved AO 2023-110(S-1), which was then vetoed by the mayor. From Alaska Public Media: “Sulte said it’s unlikely the mayor’s veto will be overridden. The Assembly would need eight votes. He said he’s hopeful that the Assembly will be able to take other steps in the future to foster more housing.”
Transportation
ONGOING: AKDOT’s PEL (Fairview/Airport Heights/Greenbelt Highway Expansion) written up in the ADN. Good to see this project getting more scrutiny, although DOT is still looking a bit flat-footed. The article didn’t really get into any data-based justification for the project at all, however, nor is there a deeper investigation into the interim alternative which has seemed the most palatable at recent public meetings. One interesting quote from out-of-towners: “Bob Charles, tribal transportation program manager for the Knik Tribe based in Palmer, said the tribe proposed and supports the alternative over Chester Creek greenbelt because it doesn’t need much private property acquisition.He said the route will improve downtown access and travel in the region, such as between the Matanuska-Susitna Valley and the Kenai Peninsula.” Nice of them to weigh in, this idea that highways “help” downtowns by getting drivers to them dates back to at least the 1930s. Is Anchorage a place to get to, or a place to get through?
On the topic of pass-through traffic, note that the 2022 Origin-Destination report states that only 4%-20% of eastbound traffic using this Seward-Glenn corridor originates from Eagle River/MatSu, while the vast majority of drivers are simply moving from the Muldoon area to other parts of the city: “The Northeast district generates or attracts a large proportion of the flows traversing the 5th Avenue select link. Half or more than half of the vehicle flows traversing the 5th Avenue location eastbound are destined to the Northeast district across all time periods; similarly half or more than half of the westbound flows through the 5th Avenue location originate in the Northeast district.” This means that there are other options for providing people the same access within the city without a new high-impact roadway.LAST WEEK: The AMATS Policy Committee met on March 21, 2024 and approved their PEL (Fairview/Airport Heights/Greenbelt Highway Expansion) Comments to be forwarded to DOT: “Are there innovative solutions considered, rather than building a highway connection, that could have the same impact to regional travel and better support local connectivity and livability than the alternatives presented, such as increasing transit, Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) strategies, and Travel Demand Management (TDM) strategies?” Agenda.
POSTPONED: No turn on red Downtown. Public hearing for AO 2024-14 postponed to May 20th, 2024. From the memorandum: “When attempting to turn on a red light, drivers naturally tend to focus in the direction of on-coming traffic to gauge when it is safe to enter the intersection. This practice,however, pulls focus from where the turning vehicle is actually heading: the intersection and its surrounding crosswalks.”
ONGOING: Anchorage Transportation Fair March 28th 2024, 3pm-7pm. The place to learn about all the transportation projects occurring or planned in Anchorage for the next year or more.
ONGOING: Municipality of Anchorage Transportation Priorities Survey: Share your perspective on the future of transportation infrastructure investments in Anchorage.
ONGOING: Seward/Glenn PEL (Fairview/Airport Heights/Greenbelt Highway Expansion) comments close on April 7th, 2024. Open house materials here.
Election
NEW: Mayoral Candidate Comparison Guide. A few mentions of getting more housing, and at least one mention of Title 21. The election is April 2, 2024.
ONGOING: Bond Items:
Public Safety and Traffic Improvements, including an increase in funding for traffic calming and safety improvements!
Roads and Drainage, including a good lump of funding for upgrades to 42nd Ave
Events
Nerd Nite: Money Money Money on Thursday, March 28th, 2024 at King Street Brewing from 6pm-8pm: “Anchorage locals have just 7 minutes to indulge fellow city nerds on public finance, taxes and bonds, just in time for 1st Quarter Budget Revisions in April.”.