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Have you commented on AO 2024-45 yet? Has your Council submitted testimony? Have your members? Friends? Neighbors?
As you are well aware, our Muni Code created community councils to give residents the maximum opportunities for community involvement in issues that would affect us. We have since spent time and efforts to encourage our neighborhoods to become involved. We have also seen how many of today’s leaders first became interested in community issues through their councils.
AO 45 has some drastic ramifications for residents. It virtually removes all of our community opportunities for involvement in land use issues. First, this is a rezone of almost all of the Muni, including the Hillside. We expect to receive official publications of all rezones in our council boundaries, and for properties in proximity to requested rezones to receive notice in the mail and postings at the site. This proposed AO removes all individual and neighborhood public notice of what will happen to our properties. Example: A single family home neighborhood can become a multi-family neighborhood (apts, duplex, etc. on one lot) – without you ever knowing it’s going to happen.
AO 45 paves the way for the HOME ordinance, which removes most of our opportunities to offer public comment on cases at the Planning Department or Planning and Zoning Commission. It also combines all our properties into a single zoning district, without taking into consideration topographical or geological features that require special attention and building methods. It removes our abilities to protect our watersheds and other natural features that make our Hillside a desired community.
If you and your Council have not yet offered written or in person testimony on AO 45, please do so asap! The Planning and Zoning Commission decision on this issue has been held over to June 10, so there is still time to have input. We trust that the PZC will make a finding of facts that state that this is an area-wide rezone, and that an area-wide rezone requires public notice as per current Code, and that the Commission will offer amendments that will honor the intent of current Code demanding real, meaningful public comment opportunities. The Assembly will resume work on adopting this ordinance at their meeting on June 11.
To comment to the Planning and Zoning Commission, email PlanningZoningInformation@cianchorage.ak.us or David Whitfield at david.whitfield@anchorageak.gov
To comment to the Assembly, email wwmas@anchorageak.gov or to all the Assembly Members at their Muni email addresses below.
South Anchorage & Hillside Assembly Representatives: Zac.Johnson@anchorageak.gov, Randy.Sulte@anchorageak.gov.
Abbott Loop area: Karen.Bronga@anchorageak.gov, George.Martinez2@anchorageak.gov.
Other Assembly Representatives to contact:
Christopher.Constant@anchorageak.gov (Assembly Chair)
Mark.L.Littlefield@anchorageak.gov (Eagle River)
Scott.Myers@anchorageak.gov (Eagle River)
Kameron.Perez-Verdia@anchorageak.gov
Felix.Rivera@anchorageak.gov
Assembly Representatives creating and sponsoring the ordinances are Meg.Zalatel@anchorageak.gov, Anna.Brawley@anchorageak.gov and Daniel.Volland@anchorageak.gov
