OPINION: Assembly’s proposed zoning changes with homeowners scrutinized
By Sharon Stockard
I am concerned by the Assembly’s continued rush to push through big zoning changes that benefit developers at the expense of neighborhoods. I have lived in Anchorage for 30 years, and I have seen many changes to the zoning code, changes that followed the city’s well-established comprehensive plan. Until recently, I have felt like I had a voice in those changes, and that there was an honest effort by Assembly members to follow the city’s zoning process, to rely on city planners for their expertise, and to respect homeowners’ viewpoints.
I don’t sense any of that from the current Assembly.
I sense disrespect, even hostility, toward homeowners and neighborhood councils that speak up or disagree with the Assembly. The current Assembly operates as if you are professional city planners, which you are not, rather than people elected to represent all of us, not just developers.
Read more at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/opinion-assemblys-proposed-zoning-changes-with-homeowners-scrutinized
Girdwood’s ‘In The Loop’ First Friday unveils a Mountain Community of artistic expression
Story by Jon Scudder, TNews Publisher
Photos by Soren Wuerth, TNews Editor
On the first Friday of each month, the streets of Olympic Mountain Loop transformed the March 1 evening into a vibrant community of artistic expression, as local artists, musicians, and businesses unite to celebrate creativity in the heart of Turnagain Arm.
Since ‘In The Loop’ debuted last year, the event has quickly become a cornerstone of Girdwood’s cultural scene, drawing customers, locals and visitors, to explore the diverse array of businesses in this monthly celebration.
Participating Friday, 5 to 7 pm, were businesses such as Alpenglow Coffee House; Girdwood Center for Visual Art; Jack Sprat Restaurant; La Bodega; Mother Hubbards Cupboard; and Powder Hound Ski and Bike Shop.
Read the entire story:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwoods-in-the-loop-first-friday-unveils-a-mountain-community-of-artistic-ex
Girdwood Trails Plan Gets Assembly nod
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
The Anchorage Assembly adopted a trails plan for Girdwood last week that maps out a network of interconnecting trails in the valley.
The decision follows four years of wrangling a continually morphing plan through dozens of public meetings, competing demands of different user groups and a sometimes bitter public process that resulted in ethics questions and charges of harassment.
In the end, the plan comes closer to a future when residents can "leave our cars in our garage," Girdwood Nordic Ski Club President Deb Essex told the Assembly.
Read the entire story at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-trails-plan-gets-assembly-nod
Girdwood Health Clinic community health includes more than medical care
By Brooks Chandler
TNews Contributor
Many people equate “health clinic” with seeing a medical provider.
The Girdwood Health Clinic takes a broader view of its role as an advocate for community health.
There are “social determinants” that impact health, says Patient Assistance Program Coordinator Linda Mankoff.
These include housing. An insecure housing situation, or just how living in the cold, can make someone sick and cause mental stress.
Not having enough food to eat is also a health concern that has the attention of the clinic.
A lack of transportation reduces access to specialty medical services not available at the clinic, says Mankoff.
Mankoff's Patient Assistance Program is designed to improve these social determinants of health.
The clinic educates community members about available public assistance programs.
For example, Mankoff says folks may be directed to Cook Inlet Housing by the clinic if they need housing and are willing to live in Anchorage.
They can also learn about possible help through Catholic Social Services.
And domestic violence victims can be referred to agencies providing temporary safe places to live.
Meanwhile, Girdwood senior citizens get help accessing the Senior Citizens Food Program.
Education may simply be letting people know that on-site mental health services are regularly available at the clinic.
When a community member wants to apply for a program such as food stamps or Medicaid, Mankoff says the clinic helps them fill out the inevitable mounds of paperwork. Before the clinic existed this type of help required a trip to town.
As a certified community health worker and application counselor Mankoff says the clinic can provide help on site. These efforts are part of creating and maintaining a “full circle of health” for Girdwood, she says.
All of these services are provided for free and regardless of whether the community member being assisted is a medical patient and confidentiality protocol prevents the clinic from identifying specific health benefits from these efforts, according to Mankoff.
Each day, a stack of food boxes for seniors awaits delivery free those who need it, a manifestation of the social service Girdwood's clinic provides.
(Photo courtesy of Girdwood Health Clinic)
Mayoral Candidates Give Views in Girdwood Forum
By Soren Wuerth
TNews. Editor
During a forum in Girdwood four candidates for Anchorage mayor gave their views on a panoply of issues, including local housing, school funding and even calls for a ceasefire in Israel's war on Palestine.
The candidates who showed up to the Friday night forum in the community center—Chris Tuck, Suzanne LaFrance, Bill Popp, and Nick Danger—all made an effort to show their "Alaskaness", "Anchorageness" and, in some cases, their "Girdwoodness".
All the candidates are decades-long residents, and showed nostalgia for earlier times when, they said, Anchorage was a more friendly place when, as Popp put it, people were more optimistic and when "people drove around with jumper cables in their car", as LaFrance said.
Now, there is acrimony, a sense of defeatism, discouragement and low morale, they said.
"We started getting stuck in the now," Popp said. "We've lost our vision."
LaFrance asked, "How do we restore trust and confidence?"
The forum, sponsored jointly by Girdwood's Rotary Club and the Turnagain News, had many questions about local land use and the four candidates were well aware of a rift between Girdwood and Anchorage, one that widened after the Anchorage Assembly voted in favor of a "Holtan Hills" subdivision. That idea has been widely panned by the community.
In answering questions, some from a moderator, some from the audience and some, in a yes or no "lightning round", the candidates discussed their views on conflicts over local housing, staffing issues in Mayor Dave Bronson's Administration, and taxes.
Developer Connie Yoshimura joined an audience of about 40 and took a seat in the first row of chairs. Her company, CY Investments, plans to develop at least 60 acres in virgin forest near Girdwood's school. Alyeska resort owner Pomeroy has announced it also hopes to acquire public land managed by the municipality's Heritage Land Bank for development.
Nick Danger, who said he used to live in Girdwood and once served on the Girdwood Board of Supervisors, suggested Girdwood and Eagle River split off from Anchorage in a sentiment palpable in a nascent "Free Girdwood" movement.
"If I were the mayor, which I probably won't be, I'd push for that, two cities," said Danger, who wore a black, long sleeve North Face shirt with an Alyeska Resort logo. Danger, handlebar mustached and with a faint tattoo on his bald crown, sat with his hands folded in front of him.
"I remember when a long-distance phone call to Anchorage was 75 cents," he said. Danger, who said he is part-owner of the Buckaroo Club, talked mostly from his personal experience as a homeowner in Anchorage and former oil company employee.
Danger said the problem is not jobs, but a population who doesn't want to work. "I had a kid who worked on the Slope and made $6,000 a week and he quit because he missed his dog," Danger said. "I mean really?"
Chris Tuck, a legislator in Juneau and former union boss who wore a blue sport coat over a blue sweater, jeans and leather dress shoes, said he would look at reforming codes around short term rentals and restore "dilapidated buildings" in Anchorage as a way to address housing issues.
"We're going to have another record tourism year this year ... and that means people want to do short term rentals," Tuck said. "Short terms rentals means its unavailable for local residents to have housing. Our population is shrinking but our housing is getting more and more restrictive. Why is that?"
Suzanne LaFrance said she would listen to the community and see how new housing proposals would fit in with Girdwood's just-released comprehensive area plan.
"It's got to be a partnership, as far as the municipality's role," said LaFrance, who wore a maroon sport coat over a flowery blouse. "We've seen in the past when a community isn't involved from the get-go how the best possible outcome is hard to reach."
Bill Popp, in a checkered button-down, asked, "If not here, then where do you want development in the Girdwood basin? I've honestly got a lot of mixed signals talking to different people in Girdwood depending on who I'm talking to and where they live or where they like to recreate. No, no, no, not there. And I get that ... but also, when do we compromise?" Popp said.
During the "lightning round", candidates held a "yes" or "no" card above their heads. Only Tuck spoke during the round, prompting moderator and Rotary President Howard Earl to express his doubts that "everyone was clear on the 'yes' or 'no' concept. Later, Tuck said he thought the lightning round asked candidates to "impose something on the community" and didn't give candidates a chance to explain.
In that series of questions, candidates differed only on a handful of issues with Danger being a frequent outlier. Danger indicated that he neither believed Joe Biden was duly elected president nor that climate change was really occurring.
On a question of whether Girdwood should separate from the Municipality, only Danger signified, "Yes". Tuck qualified his view by saying, "I don't live in Girdwood. It's your choice."
All candidates affirmed they would support a cemetery bond, that Pomeroy should be required to build affordable housing if they get municipal land, and that the HLB Advisory Commission should meet in Girdwood when the disposal of municipal land in Girdwood is discussed.
Tuck was the only candidate to flash a "yes" card to support a recent resolution presented to the Anchorage Assembly calling for a bilateral ceasefire in the war in Gaza.
"Peace is always better than war," Tuck said.
Girdwood Homeless Population Doubles
By Brooks Chandler
TNews Contributor
There are more than 47 persons living in tents, trees, cars, trucks, trailers and campers on the street or in the woods of Girdwood, according to a local survey.
A year earlier the number was 22.
The 2024 “count” was conducted January 29 through in person interviews, Girdwood resident Linda Mankoff told the Girdwood Board of Supervisors at Monday's meeting.
Only persons who volunteered their names were included.
Mankoff, who is a patient assistance program coordinator at the Girdwood Health Clinic, coordinated local participation in conjunction with a nationwide homeless survey.
She estimated another 20-25 unhoused residents declined to be counted.
The official count will be reported to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development by the Clinic. Based on the data, homeless Girdwoodians may qualify for federal assistance later in 2024.
Who are these people? Ms. Mankoff said many are employed in the Valley—in the service industry and as young professionals. She said some of the working homeless told her market rate rents would consume 50 percent of their income.
Mankoff told GBOS many live with some fear of being forced to leave their “spot”.
Ava Earl Crushes Mile Record
Nails Second Fastest Time for Alaska Woman Runner
By Harper Landry
TNews Reporter
Local Girdwoodian Ava Earl just ran the second fastest mile time in Alaska's women's history.
Ava is a local musician and athlete who went to Girdwood K-8 School and currently runs Division 1 at Northwestern University.
Being a student athlete is hard especially at such a prestigious school and it hasn’t always been easy, says Ava. She said she's learned how important it is to be resilient and to not give up when things get hard.
Ava says she has also learned better time management skills, how to use your resources, and how to ask for help.
Ava is very honored to be among some of her idols like (Soldotna runner and NCAA champion runner) Allie Ostrander, who she has looked up to since middle school when she started getting serious with running. Ava is proud of all the hard work she has put in to follow in Ostrander's footsteps and she hopes to someday be competitive at Allie’s level.
Ava’s outdoor track season is starting and she is hoping to get her 5k time into the low 15:20s which will help her in cross country next year.
Ava’s advice for younger runners is to make sure you are healthy and eating enough.
“You can’t run on broken legs or an empty stomach, and your coach shouldn't want you to,” she says.
When it comes to choosing a college to run at, she shared that it is important to look for coaches and teams that prioritize your physical and mental health.
“Let your love for the sport guide you, and know the difference between working hard and overworking,” Ava says.
Ava also recommends to start running at a low mileage. She ran at a low mileage until college and it worked out really well for her in the long-term.
As for her other role as a professional musician, Ava doesn't have a plan for her next album but she is always working on new music. She is hoping to put out new music within the next two years. But before then she is planning to do lots of performing.
Girdwood is super proud of Ava and we can’t wait to see what comes next!
Community Review of Draft Girdwood Comprehensive Plan Opens
March 31 Deadline for Public Comments on Draft Plan
By Brooks Chandler
TNews Contributor
An important way station on the long and winding road to an update of the 1995 Girdwood Area Plan has been reached.
On Wednesday, Imagine! Girdwood released the Public Review Draft of the Girdwood Comprehensive Plan.
The draft plan will be presented to the public at a Land Use Committee meeting March 11 and at the Girdwood Board of Supervisors meeting March 25.
A final draft is planned for release April 24. Adoption of a new comprehensive plan requires Assembly approval following formal review by the MOA planning staff and the Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission. The time required for that process is uncertain. Imagine! Girdwood has targeted May 3 for submission of a formal request to review and approve the new plan.
Imagine Girdwood is a non-profit organization formed in 2019 specifically to complete an update to the Girdwood Area Plan following the failure of the Municipality of Anchorage to fully fund this effort. MOA through the Mayor’s office and HLB has since contributed partial funding and staff to the effort.
The purpose of any comprehensive plan is to guide the next 20 years of growth and development in a community.
Topics addressed in the draft plan include utilities, environmental constraints, trails, housing, transportation, land use and public facilities—in short, many topics that impact day to day life in Glacier Valley.
The draft concludes with a series of specific policy recommendations and suggested general revisions to existing land use regulations. The public is encouraged to review and comment on the plan.
Huddle Alaska, an Anchorage based planning and landscape architecture firm owned by Holly Spoth-Torres was the primary consultant to Imagine! Girdwood.
Imagine Girdwood is sponsored by Girdwood, Inc. The group was formally authorized, and permitted to receive MOA Planning staff support, by the Anchorage Assembly in April of 2021. Current directors and officers of Imagine! Girdwood are Mike Edgington, chair; Chase Berenson, vice-chair, Shannon O’Brien, secretary; Amanda Sassi, treasurer and Mitch Roth, director at large. Past officers included Erin Eker, Diana Livingston, Ed Harris and Craig Schubert.
Public Comments will be accepted through March 31. Comments can be submitted using a form available on the Imagine! Girdwood website or by email addressed to girdwoodareaplan@gmail.com.
How to use Prop. 14 to help the Childcare Crisis in Girdwood
By Thea Ritter
Little Bears Board Member
All parents in the Four Valleys have a child care story.
Whether it is scrambling to work while watching little ones, waiting to get into the only daycare in the area, or ‘tightening the belt' to make ends meet’ while you take time off work to care for your children, we all have experiences to share.
The Muni-driven Anchorage child care and early education (ACCEE) hosting an event on Thursday, Feb. 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Girdwood Community Room, at 250 Egloff Drive, to hear your stories and learn from them.
Childcare will be provided during the event by Little Bears staff at Little Bears Playhouse, at 130 Egloff Drive, so please drop off your children on your way to the event.
A brief presentation on the background of the ACCEE fund will be given before the floor opens for discussion.
RSVP is encouraged at for the event at the below web address and email littlebearsplayhouse@gmail.com if you need childcare.
https://www.careforkidsanchorage.com/events/february-29
Specifically, the Governor’s Task Force wants to hear from you about how Proposition 14, commonly referred to at “Prop 14”, funds should be disbursed to help alleviate the child care crisis in Girdwood.
To give a little background, Prop 14’s “Care for Kids'' initiative in Anchorage was a bi-partisan effort to dedicate local marijuana sales tax for providing affordable child care and pre-K for children in Anchorage. It was voted on and passed in the local election held in April 2023.
As reported in an op-ed in ADN this week, the implementation team is seeking input on how to use the funds. If you can’t attend the Feb. 29 meeting, you can share your experiences here by March 8 at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ACCEE1.
More information about the initiative can be found at https://www.careforkidsanchorage.com/.
Seward Highway Plans Put Off for Lack of Funding
By Soren Wuerth, TNews Editor
Photography by Anneliese Kupfrian
Proposals to reconstruct the Seward Highway between Girdwood and Anchorage and a project to build an overpass into Girdwood are in peril due to a lack of funding and after a Statewide plan was rejected by federal regulators.
The so-called "Safer Seward Highway" project, which would cost as much as $1 billion, has been put on hold after federal transportation officials declined to fund a broader $5.6 billion statewide plan. The State must come up with a revision to its three-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP)before reapplying for funding.
The main problem is that the Alaska Department of Transportation failed to involve local governments as required by regulations.
In the case of the Seward Highway project, a plan for reconstruction and realignment from milepost 98 to 115, the DOT did not get approval from an Anchorage planning group.
Under federal regulations, projects under a STIP need to be consistent with the transportation goals of a nearby city. For the Seward Highway, that organization is the Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions, or AMATS.
"There was no coordination with AMATS prior to the draft document being released for the 45-day public comment period," AMATS director Aaron Jongenelen wrote in an August letter.
Jongenelen said the Seward Highway reconstruction "should be removed" from DOT's 2024-2027 STIP since it wasn't included in AMATS's plan.
He added that there is "missing information" and, so far as the Seward Highway plan is concerned, DOT got the region wrong.
"Seward Highway 98.5 to 110 should be all in the Municipality of Anchorage not Kenai. Also this project is missing from the interactive map," stated Jongenelen.
Federal investigators largely agreed, saying projects need to go through a local planning process and be included in a "Metropolitan Planning Organization's" plan before being listed on a STIP.
Meanwhile, an idea for a half-cloverleaf overpass heading in Girdwood, called a "trumpet" by highway planners, is bogged down for lack of funding, a DOT director said during a November meeting.
Though the Girdwood Board of Supervisors urged DOT to include an interchange in a 2018 resolution, the size of the department's proposalcaused acrimony.
"It's out-of-scale with Girdwood but also overly environmentally impactful to a pretty treasured area," GBOS co-Chair Jennifer Wingard said during a meeting last November.
The recommendation for a trumpet-style project is unlikely to gain funding, Sean Holland, DOT's regional director, said during the November meeting.
"We have a lot of projects right now that are really sucking up a lot of funding and to be able to fund the project in the $70 million range is going to be really challenging to do in the next few years," Holland said.
Holland said the he's told his agency's planners to come up with a smaller, less expensive "bite-sized" project for the interchange that might reduce crashes."We have way more needs than we do funding," he said.
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Mayors Candidate Forum to be held in Girdwood March 1
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
A forum featuring four of the candidates in the Anchorage mayoral race will take questions in an open forum March 1 in Girdwood.
The event is scheduled for Fri., March 1 from 6:30 to 8: 30 p.m. at the Girdwood Community Center, 250 Egloff Drive.
Candidates Chris Tuck, Suzanne LaFrance, Bill Popp, and Nick Danger have all committed to attend the event, to be hosted by the Turnagain News and Girdwood's Rotary Club.
Current Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson was invited, but has a scheduling conflict.
The forum will feature a question-and-answer format with a "lighting round" of yes or no questions posed to the each candidate.
This story is evolving and future updates will be forthcoming.
GET THE LATEST NEWS AS IT HAPPENS IN TURNAGAIN ARM BY SIGNING UP FOR OUR NEWSBLAST BELOW
Winter Reading Challenge for Grown ups kicks off
Reading five books in eleven weeks can get you a bingo at the Scott and Wesley Gerrish Library in Girdwood. Reading five books gets you a pizza at CoasT Pizza or Chair 5.
The contest is a systemwide Anchorage Public Library "Winter Reading Challenge" with each APL location offering its own prizes. Stamping out all the squares, a "blackout" on any one of three bingo sheets enters you in a grand drawing.
Head down to the library for books and click here for more information: Winter Reading Challenge.
Alyeska Sets Sights on Upper Valley
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
A representative for Alyeska Resort said Wednesday his company hopes to develop a 28-acre swath of forest in Girdwood's upper valley for housing as part of a sweeping master plan that could cost as much as $350 million.
The development would be a "Phase Three" pursuit, said Development Manager Willam Laurie, of Pomeroy, the Canadian hotelier that owns Alyeska Resort.
The proposed housing, near Glacier Creek, would cap other developments on or near the Resort's hotel. In other phases, Pomeroy would lease its land for construction of a new ice rink, recreation center, and childcare center. The resort would also build a new convention hall, a 9,000 square foot ski school, condos, community housing, and what it calls "workforce housing".
But a plan for an "Alyeska Village", near the hotel, and workforce housing is "to some extent" contingent on whether Pomeroy gets approval from the Assembly to develop what Pomeroy is now calling the "Glacier Creek Community", Laurie said.
Laurie told a packed community hall that Pomeroy "won the rights" to the land in 2021 in a bid on a request for proposal by the Municipality of Anchorage's Heritage Land Bank.
"We don't own it yet. It's owned by the HLB but we are in the process of acquiring that land. We are completely separate from the other project that was proposed, Holtan Hills," Laurie said.
In 2022, Connie Yoshimura, of CY Investments, and Pomeroy agreed to split HLB land they called "The Girdwood Project" on either side of Glacier Creek. The parties agreed to keep the undisclosed transaction confidential.
CY Investments would get the "Holtan Hills Subdivision" while Pomeroy would control land for, what it called in the agreement, an "Alyeska Village".
Robin Wilcox, of Skylab, a Portland-based architectural firm, said housing near Glacier Creek would be "more of a single-family housing development with mixed housing and styles."
"The idea there is that housing could be sized and planned to be nestled into the landscape," Wilcox said.
Laurie said his company chose 27 acres of 70 available to it within constraints of existing trails, wetlands, waterways and topography and ended up with a strip the shape of a fishing hook.
A slide of the area shows 23 single family homes spread out in large lots and about 55 "cluster" homes.
"Imagine someone who's lived for 10 years and hasn't had a chance to buy something in Girdwood because they get bid up or the properties are just too expensive, we plan to build quite a few units that have efficient lot sizes that would be more attainable for purchase," Laurie said, adding that the Glacier Creek subdivision would be built after the Alyeska Village and Moose Meadows developments.
He said Pomeroy would work with the Girdwood Board of Supervisors and Land Use Committee to give longer term residents priority for home purchases.
He said planners wanted the Glacier Creek community to be a "trails-oriented" community due to its proximity to trails. They also envision a parking lot and "warming hut" for skiers.
"Having a nordic ski trail in your backyard is something really cool," Laurie said.
Additionally, the subdivision would connect to the Alyeska Village with a "horizontal gondola".
Laurie's and Wilcox's presentation echoed one given five months ago in a "town hall" held at the Sitzmark Bar. The plan amends a 15-year old master plan for the Resort and is outside of the Girdwood Area Plan which is months away from completion. Pomeroy has not been involved in the larger comprehensive plan, according to a member of the planning team.
Commentary: The Real Story of the Campaign to Halt Holtan Hills
By. Emma Kramer
As I drove back to Girdwood on a recent evening, a report by Alaska News Nightly about our community caught my attention.
Listening, I was grateful for some unbiased coverage of the Holtan Hills Development Proposal. That is, until the end of the report. In a few closing sentences, the reporter repeated claims that a few Girdwood individuals had given ‘tainted’ testimony, withheld financial information and spread misinformation. I was directly involved with this group being referenced, and what was stated was erroneous.
The Alaska Landmine, with Alaska Public Media cited as a source, is not a reputable media source, and it has been extremely biased in covering the Holtan Hills issue. As someone with firsthand knowledge of the people the Landmine is accusing, I am happy to clarify the history of the Halt Holtan Hills movement.
Alaska Public Media, citing The Alaska Landmine, reported that we “vilified dealmakers”. Rather, we raised several important ethical concerns: Assembly Member Chris Constant’s real estate commissions from CY [Connie Yoshimura] Investments, Director Adam Trombley’s oversight of Heritage Land Bank, defiance of the Heritage Land Bank Advisory Commission and our local advisory committee’s recommendations for Holtan Hills.
Many in the Girdwood community cried corruption early on, knowing that the most viable PUBLIC land was going to CY for $20,000 per acre. The Halt Holtan Hills movement did not spread claims of corruption. It was claims of corruption plaguing the Bronson administration that affected public perception of Holtan Hills. Our focus was to expose the development plan as a poor use of public lands that would exacerbate our problems, rather than respond to them. Our focus was also to share effective inclusionary housing solutions from other ski resort towns.
Read the full opinion at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/opinion-the-real-story-of-the-campaign-to-halt-holtan-hills
Opinion: Why I’m stepping out of the GBOS race
By Brett Wilbanks
The reason that I put my name forward first to run for GBOS was to ensure that our community was being heard. From my participation in municipal government, activity in local service area committees, and first hand experience developing in Girdwood, I see where there are improvements that can be made. But the issues for our community go deeper than that.
Currently, there is a culture in GBOS where community groups and committee input to the board is routinely softened or dismissed to defer to assembly priorities. This has a negative impact and is to the detriment of our community. This current culture harms our town, especially when assembly interests are prioritized over local needs. There are several recent examples where deference is given to assembly interests, without garnering the support of our local community.
Last year was a terrible example of how divisive a local service area board election can get. This is a time when Girdwood needs unity as we define our own solutions and express our own vision. The last thing that I want for our town is anything that takes the focus away from the common problem and turns neighbor against neighbor.
Read more of his opinion at:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/k1eq7ecrr4806w43jxndlz1vidctd1
Three candidates file for open GBOS seats
Three candidates will appear on the ballot for Girdwood Board of Supervisors in the April 2 municipal election.
Well-known locals, Brian "Burntski" Burnett and Brett Wilbanks, have filed for—appropriately—Seat "B", while current GBOS co-chair Jennifer Wingard will run unopposed for Seat A.
Both Burnett and Wilbanks are fixtures in local governance and are running in for a seat left vacant by out-going member Amanda Sassi.
Burnett, who filed for the open seat 11 days after Wilbanks, is the former mountain manager at Alyeska Resort and is currently a ski technician at Powder Hound Ski Shop in Girdwood.
Wilbanks, owner of Polar Marine in Whittier, is serving as chair of Girdwood's Housing and Economic Committee.
Assembly Passes Holtan Hills in 9-3 Vote
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Despite overwhelming and steadfast opposition from Girdwood residents, the Anchorage Assembly approved a proposal Wednesday for a sprawling, 60-acre subdivision dubbed "Holtan Hills".
Members debated just over an hour before voting 9-3 in favor of a three-phase plan for single-family homes, duplexes and condominiums that would be carved out of a rainforest between Crow Creek Road and the Girdwood School.
Supporters of Holtan Hills said market forces, the development's profit-sharing arrangement with the municipality and "price points" of smaller lots in the $2.1 million sale made the housing venture desirable. Further delays, they said, would only harm the developers ``business model".
Other members gave variations of a familiar talking point used by proponents of the land disposal: any housing is better than no housing.
"I think every time we are looking at bringing in more housing density we are going to be asked and pressed for more time and all the while the housing crisis looms in the background and goes unaddressed. I think the time is now," said member Dan Volland.
The Holtan Hills plan has been widely criticized for its failure to address Girdwood's need for affordable and, especially, workforce housing, as well as its lack of public process, its reliance on out-dated plans, and its disregard for Girdwood's limited local services.
Residents testified that homes in the subdivision would end up as short term rentals or so-called "dark homes'. Currently 70 percent of Girdwood's homes are unoccupied, according to data compiled by Girdwood's Board of Supervisors.
But some assembly members argued anyone can buy Holtan Hills lots, including Girdwood residents.
"Every lot is for a Girdwood resident," said Assembly member Kevin Cross.
Based on current real estate prices, the cheapest residence would cost more than $800,000, said Jennifer Wingard, co-chair of Girdwood's Board of Supervisors.
Assembly to decide fate of Holtan Hills today
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
After hearing an hour and a half of testimony then discussing and passing several amendments, the Anchorage Assembly pushed debate on Holtan Hills to Wednesday at 5 p.m.
With several more amendments waiting to be discussed, the Assembly ran out of time and adjourned a half hour before midnight.
Girdwood residents drove through a cold night and waited for testimony on Holtan Hills to open, which didn't happen until just after 9:30.
While several contractors from Anchorage spoke in support of the development, the majority of testimony was in opposition.
A handful of residents asked the Assembly to wait until the Girdwood Area Plan is completed. Others noted that little has changed in the ordinance that was rejected last year.
Among the various amendments, one would increase the amount of multi-family housing to 50 percent. Another would add language to the ordinance to encourage rules that comply with goals of the Assembly's housing plan, but the provision has no "teeth", assembly members admitted, and would be mere "window dressing."
This is an on-going story. Check back for updates.
Holtan Hills Hearing likely to begin late Tuesday night, Postponement possible
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Girdwoodians thinking of giving testimony on Holtan Hills Tuesday night may need to grab an extra strong cup of coffee on their way into Anchorage.
Public testimony won't likely open on the ordinance until 10:30 p.m., an Assembly member said Monday.
"You'll probably have to stick around pretty late. We probably won't get to it until 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. I'm sorry, but that's the way the stars are aligned," Assembly Member Zac Johnson said during a meeting of Girdwood's Board of Supervisors.
"My best guess is there's no way this would come up before 10:30, if it happens at all on Tuesday," Johnson said.
The Assembly has to work through a packed agenda that includes action on bonds in advance of an April 2 Municipal election.
Both Johnson and Assembly Member Anna Brawley said, though the ordinance will be heard, it is unlikely the Assembly will vote on the measure.
"Folks should still plan on being able to testify, I appreciate that it's a long drive," Brawley wrote in an email to a local resident.
"Only after the public hearing is closed would we begin debate, which is when the Assembly takes a vote. So what I mean is, this item will not be voted on at tomorrow's meeting, because that's the last step in consideration of an ordinance. I do however expect that the public hearing will begin tomorrow evening, and then get continued," she wrote.
Holtan Hills resurfaced as a "laid-n-the-table" item in early December, a move that required only two Assembly members. The language in the draft ordinance is nearly identical to the one killed in February in a seven to five vote.
Opinion: Communities know what is best for their community
By Emma Kramer
The Holtan Hills Development is a poor use of public lands and it may lead to adverse effects on all MOA taxpayers. The public record shows that the proposal is not supported by the Girdwood community, additionally, it’s socially and fiscally irresponsible and will exacerbate our current socio-economic issues.
These issues include: only a single road in/out for evacuation, limited access to food and family services, lack of progress in our Girdwood Industrial Park, limited trash collection, STILL NO RECYCLING, lack of shelter for folks experiencing homelessness, variable electricity and wastewater capacity issues, and SEVERE housing shortage with trends in the wrong direction, and no incentives to stop.
To read more:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/opinion-communities-know-what-is-best-for-their-community