07/07/2024
Mayoral Transition
NEW: Another round of mayoral appointments announced in the ADN, with some positive signs for fans of evidence-based policy in local government:
“Nolan Klouda is taking the role of policy director. Klouda has been the executive director of the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development for the last 10 years…Recently, Klouda has advocated for the city to reform zoning and land use regulations as a way to address Anchorage’s housing shortage.”
NEW: Transition report from the former Mayor. Appears to be a compilation of various departments’ comments. Most interesting: the traffic department reporting increased demand for traffic calming. Most alarming: the street maintenance department noting an “Imminent collapse of the ability of the Municipality to provide basic government services”. Some highlights:
Chief Fiscal officer potential challenges: “Eaglexit”.
Parks & Rec Department opportunities: “Master Planning at Chester Creek Sports Complex, Mirror/Edmonds Lake Master Plan, Kincaid Park Master Plan, Potter Marsh Watershed Park Masterplan, Goose Lake Master Plan”.
Transit Department (People Mover) accomplishments: “Selected the Chinook Lot site for the Downtown Transit Center.” Opportunities: “Expand UPASS Program, outreach to major employers along system ex: GCI, Fred Meyer, Carrs/Safeway…Transit-oriented development (TOD) in Muldoon/Debarr area with library, housing, community space, public health, and a transit center to improve safety and provide amenities to community…Rebrand People Mover”
Merrill Field Airport challenges: “Potential loss of airport acreage from future Glenn Highway expansion.”
Planning Department opportunities: “The development community has suggested the existing residential design standards cause unnecessary increases in the cost of construction and have asked us to remove them entirely. The Planning Department is working on revisions to help mitigate the burden in a manner that is consistent with our adopted plans…Relationships with the development community and our Assembly partners need to improve in order to work together effectively on matters of joint concern. Restore respect for the roles of each branch of government within the daily functioning of our local government.”
Oddly enough, the department seems to list a large number of its current projects as “challenges” on page 134 of the document.
Project Management & Engineering (PME) Department challenges: “Capital needs exceed $2B. Loss of state grant funding adversely affected our ability to address deferred maintenance and new infrastructure requirements. Between 1997 and 2014, MOA received about $512M in state grants for PM&E and drainage projects. Since then, PM&E has received $2 million in state grants for capital construction”.
Note: the legacy of decades of overbuilding road infrastructure becoming more and more apparent.
Street Maintenance Department challenges: “Imminent collapse of the ability of the Municipality to provide basic government services (APD, Street Maintenance) due to the aged state of the fleet without additional funding replacement.”
Note: As above, the practice of years of overbuilding road infrastructure finally showing its true costs.
Traffic Department challenges:“Inability to keep up with increased demand for signage, markings, school walkway improvements, and traffic calming…Potential policy and programmatic changes to our department and Municipal-wide operations as the Vision Zero Program proceeds and lessons learned emerge from pilot projects and studies.” Opportunities: “Expand traffic calming program to include increased number of projects each year”.
Real Estate Department: opportunities: “Request for interest ready to be released for a new city hall facility…”Request for Interest is ready to be released for development of Tract B Cook (Archives Property)...The Former Native Hospital Site, at 3rd Ave & Ingra, is positioned to issue an RFP for residential and/or mixed-use development…Reviewing options for the Girdwood Industrial Park and how best to proceed with development and/or disposal.” Challenges: “The City Hall lease expires Dec. 2026 with no options to extend. A determination on the future location of City Hall will need to be made.”
Is there a possibility that the MOA will move City Hall?
NEW: Mayor LaFrance’s transition team will be holding an open house on 7/9/2024 at the library: “The transition team invites the Anchorage community to attend an open house and presentation to learn more about the process and have the opportunity to provide feedback on the findings.” Tuesday, July 9, 2024: open house from 4pm-7pm, brief remarks and presentation from 5:30pm-6pm. At Wilda Marston Theater, Loussac Library, 3600 Denali Street. Background on the transition team.
Land Use
NEW: Cost of living in Alaska from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development: Alaska households spend 40% of their income on housing and 21% of their income on transportation (another way of looking at this: 61% of household income expenditures could be influenced by local policy on housing development and transportation infrastructure). Same story in the ADN: “Housing in Anchorage last year was the least affordable in two decades, state data shows. The statewide average mortgage payment has risen 52% since 2018, and rents have climbed 24%.”
NEW: Provide comments on the AHD housing and Community Development 2024 Action Plan. From the flier: “Join the conversation about how the Anchorage Health Department is planning to spend Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds.” Some of the information in the Affordable Housing section seems to be slightly out of date. Meeting on Wednesday, 7/17 at the Wilda Marston theater at 6pm in the Loussac Library.
NEW: New development at ANTHC. In the ADN: “The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is building a $70 million skilled nursing facility to help relieve pressure at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage.” Note that this is a separate project from Southcentral foundation’s new health services building planned to be built along Tudor.
NEW: The MOA has released a built environment research report as part of the Downtown Streets Engineering Study. Purposes of the project as listed on the project page: “...evaluating street conversions, street closures, Bike Boulevard concept and Coastal Trail connectors, street ownership transfer and truck traffic” in the Downtown area. Note how many of the recommendations of the report (around page 49) focus on AKDOT&PF staff:
“Clarifying the line of internal AKDOT&PF decision-making to provide clear direction, ensure AKDOT&PF staff are well-versed in the reasons that downtown facilities be treated differently, ensure that AKDOT&PF staff understand the adopted policy guidance documents which call for different road designs downtown, and ensure staff time is increased to respond to projects with complex design considerations”
“Address staff reservations that are related to design.”
“Educate staff on the possibilities for design flexibility.”
NEW: Anchorage AARP Multi-Generational Housing Design Initiative 2024. Design competition with small stipends available: “The Project Team invites local designers and architects to participate in the initiative. The goal of the initiative is to foster community conversations about the role of multi-generational housing; promote accessible units for aging residents; share visions for potential solutions to the local housing crisis; and test and evaluate recent code changes aimed at increasing accessory dwelling units and small multi-unit housing (2-4 units) in Anchorage. Projects should be innovative but also grounded in economic and built realities.” Additional information here.
ONGOING: Propose your project ideas that could be funded by an Anchorage sales tax: The Project Anchorage website has a form for submissions. Goals of the program:
“Lower property taxes
Ensure visitors contribute
Build new projects to improve our quality of life
Grow our economy”
NEW: Community and Economic Development Committee meeting on July 11, 2024.
NEW: Federation of Community Councils annual picnic on July 16, 2024. 5-8pm at Valley of the Moon Park.
Transportation
LAST WEEK: Anchorage celebrated another 4th of July by opening its streets to people and parades. See pictures in the ADN.
NEW: AKDOT & PF Fireweed Lane rehabilitation project. Project page.
NEW: People Mover service cuts coming in October 2024. “Significant workforce shortages and challenges are affecting attendance and availability to perform the work and impacting the ability to maintain current service levels. This situation is affecting not only riders but also the expectations of the Administration and the Assembly.” Read about the issue and provide feedback here.
NEW: Bike tour: urban gardens and food security. “Free. Tour begins at the Anchorage Museum and covers four to eight miles; may not be suitable for all riders. Meet at 5 p.m., ride begins at 5:30 p.m. (rain or shine).” Thursday, July 11 at 5:30pm.
ONGOING: Downtown Protected Bike Lane (PBL) survey: Provide your feedback here. Also, Bike Anchorage is leading weekly Tuesday group rides all summer to take riders on a loop that uses the facility.