06/23/2024
Land Use
NEW: Simplifying the HOME zoning reform: The initiative’s sponsors have presented a significantly reduced version of the HOME reform as item 13.B at the 6/25/2024 Assembly meeting, now proposing to legalize duplexes in all residential zones in the Bowl as well as allowing multiple structures on a lot. Here is the press release, op-ed, and memo from the sponsors. Addressing the perennial complaints about not enough process, the memo states:
“Between March and May, the sponsors collectively attended meetings of 24 groups, representing diverse interests and communities…We sent regular updates to the public about the progress of the ordinance: notice and registration information for the March 4 webinar; highlighted milestones like publication of our web page and other materials; shared updates when the Planning and Zoning Commission would hold public hearings, and gave brief next steps following those hearings.”
Dedicated HOME watchers will recall that in its original staff report, the Planning department appeared to vaguely advocate for more than 2 units per lot:
“...the public hearing draft proposal to limit all former single-family-only and two-family zoned areas to no more than two principal residences per lot, and name the merged zone as a “Single and Two Family” district, may not yield adequate housing to meet Anchorage residents’ needs…Single-family-only and two-family zoned areas comprise 57% of urban residential land. This could constrain the community’s land capacity to supply needed “missing middle” housing types such as townhomes, triplexes, and fourplexes in areas with adequate infrastructure and access”
It will be telling to see that department’s response to this pared-down S version. And another perspective from an article in the ADN:
“Allowing duplexes in what was traditionally single-family zoning, that’s the biggest single thing that anyone could do for housing,” said Spinelli, who is also the chair of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. As a developer, Spinelli said that he’s “hesitant to lobby” for specific legislation.“But it will help and it will make things more affordable and will allow for more housing units in the future,” he added…“The city needs to have a come to Jesus moment where it decides if it actually wants to make housing more affordable,” Spinelli said.”
A clean version of the S-1 version is available here. (Note that the Planning & Zoning Commission apparently held a special meeting on 6/21/2024 on a resolution to recommend approving HOME, but as of this writing, the resolution is not available on the Municipal website).
NEW: New development coming to Northway mall: “In researching permit applications with the Municipality of Anchorage, permit number C24-1365 suggests that the new anchor tenant will be an O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store or warehouse.” From Alaska’s news source.
NEW: New housing construction in Mountain View. From the staff report: “‘The proposed subdivision, which will create 2 lots for a duplex, is in east anchorage in the Mountain View area.” This is a 6,000 square foot R-3 lot using the “unit lot” subdivision process to build a duplex, yielding a density of around 13 dwelling units per acre. Note that the intent of R-3 is to get much higher densities: “The R-3 district is a multifamily residential district with gross densities between 15 and 40 dwelling units per acre…” What are the conditions that result in lots like this being developed under density? And why is a duplex and not two “single family attached” units? Would they have had to go through the unit lot subdivision if the project was for two single family attached units? Another interesting thing about this project–it appears to have been subject to some version of the MOA’s complex new site access standards.
ONGOING: Extending the deteriorated area tax abatement for Fairview to 2035: AO 2024-63 is item 14.C at the 6/25/2024 Assembly meeting. From the memo: “This proposed ordinance is rather straightforward: it will simply extend the expiration date of the Assembly’s “deteriorated area” finding in AO 2014-71(S), As Amended, to 2035 and reaffirm the findings in that ordinance…Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, there has been a dearth of applications since the original findings in 2014, and very little improvements exempt or deferred from taxes under the program have occurred.”
ONGOING: Amendments to the 2040 land use plan, originally proposed in relation to HOME: AO 2024-44 is item 14.C at the 6/25/2024 Assembly meeting. From the memo: “…there have been few, and potentially not any, substantive review and updates to the policies in the Comprehensive Plan (or Land Use Plan) since those documents were officially adopted…During this time, the economic and community conditions in the Municipality have changed, particularly around the increasing urgency and scale of our housing shortage, from lack of affordable housing, to an extremely tight housing market, to a sustained slow-down of housing production over the last decade.”
Note that there is now a resolution attached to 14.C petitioning the administration to conduct a targeted review of the 2020 comprehensive plan (adopted in February of 2001) and 2040 land use plan (adopted in September of 2017).
ONGOING: Survey for the Anchorage areawide public restrooms project: link here and leave your suggestions on the interactive map here. Article in the ADN here.
REJECTED: Denial of an alternative equivalent compliance(AEC) request submitted last month for an old office building in an industrial area. AECs are a discretionary process through which developments have the chance to propose alternative paths to meeting the intent of various parts of the code. From the staff report:
“The lack of a nonconforming determination and complete landscaping plans for the whole site hinder the ability to determine what was required at the time of construction and what is required today. Therefore, Planning is unable to determine if this proposed AEC provided an equal or better improvement to this parcel.”
“Without a nonconforming determination it is unknow[n] if what the applicant is proposing provides an alternative equivalent design that meets these requirements.”
It seems clear that the Planning Department really wanted the applicant to do a nonconforming determination–perhaps that desire could have been conveyed through a phone call. We couldn’t find any information in the regulations of 21.07 which would warn someone that nonconforming determinations should be part of the AEC process. We did find that the Planning Department completes nonconforming determinations at the rate of $135 per hour, with multifamily and commercial properties requiring a minimum of 4 hours for review.
NEW: 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”
Transportation
NEW: Downtown Protected Bike Lane (PBL) survey: Provide your feedback here, and check out the nice installation video on the website. Also, Bike Anchorage is leading weekly Tuesday group rides all summer to take riders on a loop that uses the facility.
NEW: Public comment opportunity on the AKDOT&PF winter ferry schedule by June 25th. (Posted on June 18th). Two virtual/in-person public meetings are planned for June 26th. See details here.
LAST WEEK: AMATS Policy Committee members voted to approve an application for a SMART grant to create a “data bike” that would track path conditions throughout the city at their 6/21/2024 meeting.
ONGOING: Regulating E-bikes: AO 2024-51 is item 13.A at the 6/25/2024 Assembly meeting. From the memo: “...These devices represent a largely unregulated sector of the transportation industry, with models ranging from the pedestrian to the remarkably powerful.” So would the plan be to have APD patrolling the trails for super-charged ebikers? There was a work session on this item on 6/20/2024.