Eleanor Andrews, Dave Evans, Sami Graham, Lynn Hallquist, Deborah Hansen, Martin Hansen, Dennis Hanson, Elise Huggins, Sarah Creeden, Marty Margeson, Jake Metcalf, Patrice Parker, Sharon Written by Stockard, Pam Tesche, Kathy Bertl, and Jerry Wurtzbauer.
Updated: 21 minutes ago, Published: 1 hour ago
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Homeowners, listen up. This may be the only written notice you receive. Council plans to rezone all residential properties within the Anchorage Bowl in one month through Draft Anchorage Ordinance 2023-087(S) without directly mailing notice to property owners . This stealth rezoning would violate the public notice rule, but the Legislature's tactic is to exempt it from the rule through AO 2024-045, which is on the May 21 agenda.
Does this sound like government running amok? After city officials and attorneys told the council that a citywide rezoning proposal would violate both state and local land use laws, an AO 2024- 045 was introduced. The council moved with strike-like speed and held a public hearing on May 7, but the ordinance was then postponed, ostensibly to rewrite it and secure new legal opinion.
The people testified that they strongly opposed giving more powers to Congress. Not a single member of Congress asked questions or commented on the citizens who testified. The members' downcast looks seemed intentional. Nor did any members question the group's intent to lift current protections and refuse to provide legal written notice to homeowners.
Zoning is about making our cities more efficient, more affordable, and more livable, not deteriorating blighted areas and promoting random density. Congress’ rezoning proposals promote density everywhere, even in places where roads, utilities, and other services are inadequate. The plan we adopted calls for adding targeted density so that residents can easily walk to work and catch buses. Targeted density will begin to grow the long-overdue vibrant urban hub that is missing here.
Anchorage came together for four years in the late 1990s to define its vision for the future and build a comprehensive plan through community surveys, task forces, expert reviews, workshops, and open houses. Hundreds of people attended a large public meeting held in the middle school cafeteria. People consistently agreed that Anchorage's neighborhoods, with their mix of housing types, are the most important aspect of community life and serve as centers for education, recreation, and social activities. Downtown and Midtown were to transition into more concentrated urban centers, complemented by traditional neighborhoods and the character of South Anchorage's rural neighborhoods. Design standards, heights, setbacks, and transportation selection are important aspects when mixing housing types.
Anchorage's 2020 “vision” is still in play, even though politics prevented its realization. People haven't rejected it, and Congress hasn't offered an alternative vision. Their proposals will only create random growth with less sunlight and more traffic. That is, hotspots where sudden population densities overwhelm local roads, parks, and public services. Her high-rise, boxy four-family home in a low-density neighborhood cannot provide more affordable housing.
Citizens still believe in Anchorage's future with first-rate, distinctive neighborhoods and a growing urban core. It's time for Congress to stop dodging public opinion and seize power, and instead invest in targeted redistricting in line with adopted comprehensive plans. Targeted rezoning, supported by infrastructure investments, creates cost-effective density that benefits neighborhoods, blighted areas, and urban centers.
If you're one of Anchorage's 62,000 affected property owners, you don't have to wait by your mailbox to find out how rezoning will affect your property or the building next door. there is no. Please email Congress and mark your calendars for May 21st and his June 25th hearings. If you can't come in person, testifying by phone is easy (register online 24 hours in advance). It's your city: Let Congress know you support distinctive neighborhoods and targeted infill to grow our great northern city (email wwmas@muni.org) .
As the late Walt Parker once said, “A great city is simply a collection of great neighborhoods.”
Eleanor Andrews, Dave Evans, Sami Graham, Lynn Hallquist, Deborah Hansen, Martin Hansen, Dennis Hanson, Elise Huggins, Sarah Creeden, Marty Margeson, Jake Metcalf, Patrice Parker, Sharon Stockard, Pam Teshe, Kathy Bertl and Jerry Wurtzbauer are residents. The City of Anchorage is concerned about the council's proposed rezoning.
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