Our next meeting is Thursday February 19 at 7:00 pm at O'Malley Elementary School.
Agenda
To help people get along, we have extensive zoning rules in Anchorage. These cover lot sizes, how big you can build on them and loads of limits on what you can do on your property. It's all a libertarian's nightmare, but as problems have arisen, rules have been made. The MOA is currently rewriting these rules.
A draft of Module 2 - Districts and Uses was released in January. It's over 150 pages and covers lots of details that most people will become aware of only after they break the rules and someone squawks. This draft is primarily a rewrite of the current code with a smattering of changes to get everything in synch with the new Comprehensive Plan.
Here's a sample of current or proposed rules: no temporary cloth garages, no more than 7 garage sales per year per home; no parking vehicles with business logos at your home; only one "inoperative" vehicle on your lot at at time (and you have one year to get it running); no more than 5 animals over 4 months old except fish, small birds and rodents; you can have a satelite dish anywhere you need to get a good reception. The list goes on.
There is little land left to be developed in our area and there's a preference to keep that development consistent with the relatively large lots and low population density we now enjoy. The current revisions work somewhat against this. The R-1 Single-Family Residential zone changed. Valli Vue is a pocket of R1 zoning in our area and we are unlikely to see more.
The R-6 zoning predominant in our area is now 1.25 acre minimum and is proposed to drop to one acre. Right-Of-Way will no longer be used in calculation of lot size, so the change is less than it looks. Many lots zoned R-6 in our area are currently less than an acre. The proposed changes also drops square footage for a duplex to 1.5 acres rather than current 2.5, so 5-acre tracts could now have 3 duplexes instead of 2.
Higher up the hill, zoning is mostly R-9 Rural Residential (low-density areas where sewer and water are unlikely to be provided for a considerable period of time if ever). Currently the minimum lot size for Single-family is 2.5 acres and for duplexes 3.75 acres. The proposal is to increase allowable lot coverage and decrease the duplex requirement to 2.5 acres.
The people rewriting this code are actively looking for feedback from you. To streamline things, at our February meeting we'll have copies of pages that seem to be most relevant to the Mid Hillside and Hillside East CCs. That will knock it down to maybe a dozen pages or so. To take a look at various comments and info related to our area, go to www.weddleton.com/CC and hit the Issues button then scroll down to the Title 21 Update link. For a copy of the Draft and other info from the Muni see http://www.muni.org/planning/prj_Title21.cfm .
(About those fences, the chapter on Use Regulations has over 30 mentions of fences to shield the world from ugly things we might do on our property.)
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LEGISLATIVE TELECONFERENCE. While the legislature is in
session, we typically set up a conference phone so we can chat with our reps
while they are in Juneau. These chats cover a broad range of topics.
This month's meeting will be one week after the "Conference of Alaskans" ends with, presumably, a decision on using the Permanent Fund to help fund state government. Let's find out how our reps feel about the results!
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THE STATE'S WALLET IS THIN, but there are still things to buy and some money to spend. State Representative Kevin Meyer's office called to see if there are any projects in our area that state funds could help with. A recent example of a small help from a state rep are the signs directing people to O'Malley Elementary School. Probably not a lot of $ spent, but a help for people looking for our meeting!
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ABBOTT LOOP/BRAGAW EXTENSION UPDATE. We've been given generous updates on this project. This time around, we'll hear the current status from Project Manager Stewart Osgood.
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NEW PARKING AT THE ALASKA ZOO. The proposed road work on O'Malley will take a big part of the current parking lot at the Alaska Zoo. To prepare for this, the Zoo is planning to move the main parking to 2 acres on the south east corner of the Zoo.
If the prospect of this change makes you want to roar, we can comment on this as a community council in time for the "Site Plan Review" on March 1.
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PRIVATE LEASE IN RUTH ARCAND PARK? At our January meeting, a group called Rainbow Connection, which provides therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with a range of disabilities, sought our councils' support for a proposal to lease 10 acres adjacent to the existing Equestrian Center in Section 16 (Ruth Arcand Park). The long-term lease would be on the April 2004 municipal ballot. The general response was favorable, but, in accordance with the bylaws, no action was taken on this non-agenda item. The Assembly will have a public hearing on this at their Tuesday February 17 meeting.
If the Assembly does not make a decision at that meeting, we will consider a resolution at our February meeting.
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Police Chief Walt Monegan asked for Feedback. He wants to know the top three things APD does that meet our expectations and three where they fail to meet them. Let's make a list!
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O'MALLEY ROAD PROJECT MAPS showing existing vegetation, the proposed trail and ROW to be purchased will be available at this meeting. Jim Sawhill gave us large maps that clearly show these features.
To envision the impact as you drive up O'Malley, on the north side, the power lines are generally just outside the project's boundary. They'll stay as will vegetation to their north. A similar distance will be impacted on the south where a trail is also planned.
The general scheme remains four lanes from Seward Hwy to Lake
Otis, three lanes to Main Tree, then two lanes to Hillside Drive.
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PEDESTRIAN GURU DAN BURDEN will make a presentation Tuesday February 24 at 7pm at the Anchorage Museum Auditorium. This will conclude a two day program looking at pedestrian safety, ADA upgrades, strategies for building sidewalks, trails and safe crossings. Find out what techniques work in other cities.
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Governor Frank Murkowski called a "Conference of Alaskans" to decide whether the Permanent Fund should be used to help fund state government. Gavel to Gavel will provide live television coverage on February 10, 11, and 12 and will stream the live coverage on the Internet at www.ktoo.org/gavel.The broadcasts will be archived on the web for later viewing.
Monday, Mar 01, 2004
2004-034
Attn: John L. Seawell The Alaska Zoo
4731 O'Malley Road
Anchorage, AK 995070000
FAX: 9073462015
Day Phone: 9073463204A Site Plan Review for a new parking plan of approximately 2 acres on the southeast corner of the property at the Alaska Zoo due to road improvements on O'Malley Road. Alaska Zoo Subdivision, Tract A. Located at 4731 O'Malley Road. PLI-SL Public lands & institutions district with special limitations.