04/07/2024
Land Use
NEW: Parking reform delivering results: modifications to a site plan in Girdwood. It looks like the impacts of removal of parking mandates 2 years ago are now showing up in development, as this mixed use project in Girdwood appears to be changing its site plan to make the original microdistillery/cafe less tall and add additional commercial space plus a fitness center. The staff report states: “Parking space reduction and parking lot reconfiguration. The original parking lot design had 40 spaces for the commercial uses on-site (4 of those accessible spaces). The updated site plan shows 12 parking spaces for the commercial uses on-site (2 of those accessible spaces and 2 of those EV charging stations).” At the upcoming 4/8/2024 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting.
NEW: Limiting new housing development in Eagle River: PZC is reviewing a conditional use permit application for a 115 unit residential development in the Carol Creek Subdivision. Per the staff report: “The CE-R-2M district allows up to 15 dwelling units per acre, and the proposed development has a residential density of 3.8. The site was rezoned to CE-R-2M SL in 2020 per AO 2020-71. The special limitations placed on the property limited Tract 1 to no more than 115 dwelling units.” There doesn’t seem to be any information available on where these special limitations came from..
Another interesting note from the corresponding subdivision case: “Fire Plan Review comments: Place the following plat note: “ Building permits for no more than 30 dwelling units may be issued within the Carol Creek Subdivision until such time as the required secondary access has been constructed and completed by the Owner and accepted by the Anchorage Fire Department, unless approved automatic sprinkler protection is installed in all dwelling units constructed prior to the secondary access being completed.” Eagle River is open for business! At the upcoming 4/8/2024 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting.
NEW: ACDA Attainable Housing Project: “The ACDA Attainable Housing Project will acquire tax-foreclosed parcels at 202 and 204 E. Fireweed Lane from the MOA and intends to subsequently relocate two 4-plex buildings from JBER, creating eight affordable housing units. This initiative is designed to address a critical need within Anchorage for more accessible and attainable housing options.” Item 10.E.4 at the upcoming 4/9/2024 Assembly Meeting.
NEW: The Geotechnical Advisory Commission discussed the HOME zoning reform at their 3/26/2024 meeting. One assembly member asked about the risks of building on steep lots and whether zoning standards are the best way to do that effectively: “Is zoning an appropriate regulatory mechanism for mitigating those hazards…?” Commissioner: “I’d say that’s a pretty significant point there…I’m pretty sure I recall having similar debates when we were looking at that Downtown overlay whether or not zoning was the right place to do this. I know we’ve had similar debates at the GAC.” (around 1:00:00 in the recording).
This doesn’t quite jibe with the planning department’s memo from last month that claims that HOME “...will eliminate the single-family district, which can be a useful land use tool to mitigate the risks to human life and natural environment associated with residential developments within high-hazard areas such as those with steep slopes, significant seismic ground-failure hazard, flood hazard, and/or environmentally sensitive areas.“ For reference, MOA seismic maps don’t appear to show any correlation between mapped ground failure susceptibility areas and existing zoning district boundaries, and indeed some areas (Airport Heights and parts of Rogers Park) have restrictive single family zoning yet among the lowest hazard risk for seismic and slopes. Who should we trust when assessing risk, an advisory commission of 8 professional engineers and geologists, or a planning department which recently wagged its finger at us to warn that “Even the rezone of one residential lot to B-3 is dangerous”?
NEW: The Community & Economic Development Committee (CEDC) discussed 3/4plex reforms and the HOME project at their 4/4/2024 meeting. Some interesting notes:
Staff making the claim that “Anchorage is mostly built” and recommending redevelopment through “tax structures”.
The planning department discusses a report they commissioned on the recent site access standards around 17:25. One audience member talked about trying to build a 4plex but finding the lot size coverage limits to be restrictive, to which staff responded “We were able to demonstrate you could do a 7,900 square foot fourplex on a 7,500 square foot lot…you can do it”. We couldn't find a published copy of this report to verify their claims, but will keep looking.
ONGOING: Site Access Amendment is item 14.A at the upcoming 4/9/2024 Assembly Meeting. The AO is provided “in order to make technical corrections, clarifications, resolve inconsistencies, and address unintended effects of the recently adopted changes to parking and site access”. This is the planning department’s sprawling project that brought you the new urban neighborhood context area overlay that affects some properties differently than others. In the works since 2021, this item has hundreds of pages of documentation and 5 exhibits on the agenda. Do any of our readers have any idea what is going on here, or how to understand this?
ONGOING: Archives Site Rezone AO and Memo are item 11.E. at the 4/9/2024 Assembly Meeting. It appears that a planned work session on this item was postponed or canceled.
Transportation
NEW: People Mover Transit Center Online Open house: Find the materials here.
LAST WEEK: AMATS Technical Advisory Committee Meeting on 4/4/2024.The TAC recommended approval of TIP Amendment 2, as revised following public comment, where the major changes were to remove the Seward Hwy & 36th Interchange project and add funding for a pathway along Eagle River Rd (Eagle River Loop Rd to Mile Hi Ave). The quarterly project update is also available, listing the status of all AMATS-funded transportation projects in the Anchorage area.
Events
NEW: Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting: No agenda provided. 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Spenard Community Recreation Center - 2020 W 48th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99517
NEW: The next City Nerd Nite, focusing on transportation, has been scheduled for Thursday, May 30, 6pm - 8pm at King Street Brewing. Pitch your idea for a 7-minute talk here.