Our next meeting is Thursday November 18 at 7:00 pm
at O'Malley Elementary School.
Agenda
O'Malley Elementary School
Thursday, November 18, 2004
The very nice Greenbrook Subdivision encompasses a few roads that sprout off DeArmoun a few streets down from Hillside Drive. If you turn north on VonScheben you will loop back to DeArmoun on a road that changes its name to Nenana, Langman Circle and then Alagarin Circle. These last two are not actually cul-de-sacs, but part of the continuous road.
This multiple-named road passes through almost 13 acres of undeveloped land. The owners want to replat it into four lots by blocking off the road and changing it into cul-de-sacs. The cul-de-sacs are on the legal plat for this area. But the road has been there for 20 years and the Greenbrook Homeowners Association has invested lots of money in it. This potential change has made some people unhappy. This is a situation where a good dialogue with the developer could bring about a compatible solution.
But this is a "short plat" where there is no requirement for a public hearing or for notification of nearby residents. This significant change to the neighborhood almost slipped by the neighbors and the established homeowners association. The neighborhood learned through the efforts of this community council.
That is the peril of short plats. These are not uncommon and allow a simple process for people to redraw the lines on adjacent lots and other non controversial changes to their property. They can also allow approval of projects with big impacts without any input from people who may be hurt.
Recently the Short Plat law was revised to increase the requirement for public notice. With persistence from Assemblywoman Janice Shamberg, the Rabbit Creek CC and the Hillside group Home And Land Owners, Inc. (HALO), an amendment was passed in early October that places some limits on short plats. Now there is a 10 acre limit on what can be short platted and a limit on how often a parcel can be short platted.
This is a major concern in the southern part of the Hillside where there are hundreds of acres that can be developed one short plat after another. Small subdivisions are being created without a long range plan for the roads, trails and utilities that will be needed when the entire area is developed. The new short plat revision does not address this issue.
In response to desires of the neighborhood, the developer rescheduled the hearing at the Planning and Zoning Commission to allow time to work things out with the homeowners. The Greenbrook Subdivision Hearing date is tentatively November 29. It's Case S-11313-1. The developer's representative will attend our November meeting.
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INSURER STATE FARM WILL STATE ITS CASE for encouraging their customers to be "firewise." Jim Fahey, an underwriter with State Farm Insurance, will talk about the letter they sent their customers on the Hillside regarding wildfire mitigation. (The letter is posted at the councils' website on the Newsletter page.)
The Anchorage Fire Departments' Wildfire expert Sue Rodman will also attend and talk about AFD's role in implementing State Farm's policy.
Anchorage has spent millions on education and generous subsidies to coax people to make their homes safe from wildfire. State Farm's effort may be the push from behind that gets more people working to protect their homes.
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Dear Policyholder: At State Farm, we strive to help our customers manage the risks of everyday life. The safety of your family, home, and property is important to us, so we would like to share some important information with you regarding wildfire. Due to forest fuel conditions and community growth into traditionally natural areas, the threat of wildfire to lives and property is increasing. In working with wildfire experts, we believe you and your property are in an area where significant risk exists from the hazard of wildfire. Thousands of properties have burned in the last 10 years, threatening lives and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. These losses are significant, and we feel obligated to address the situation. As such, we are initiating a Wildfire Mitigation and Education Program and would like your participation. To protect you and your property, we suggest you take the following simple steps to reduce your risk exposure to wildfire: "
We hope you will take time over the next few months to accomplish these items as necessary on your property. Prior to you next renewal, we plan to conduct a visual survey of your property to evaluate your risk exposure to wildfire and continued eligibility for homeowners insurance. We are committed to working with you to prevent or limit wildfire danger and damage because we appreciate your business and value our relationship with you. Together, we can create a community that is safer and more resistant to wildfire. If you have any questions, please contact your State Farm Agent … Enc. Brochure |
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WE have a full board! At our Annual Meeting on October 21, 2004 the Mid-Hillside Community Council seated the first full board in over a decade! This is an important improvement in our ability as a group to represent our area. This is a board of nine smart and active people who bring a great variety of viewpoints to the board.
The Hillside area is very fortunate!
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ASK A SIMPLE QUESTION .... MHCC board member Kim Ross wants to know what the laws are for horseback riding, horse trails, etc. within the municipality and/or on state roads. She tried searching statutes and administrative code only come up with hits referring to horse drawn carriages or horse keeping (land use). Calls to people who should know lead to dead ends.
No slouch with research, her questions remain unanswered: Where and how it is legal (or illegal) in Anchorage to ride horses? Can you ride on the side of the road? On the side of the highway? Facing traffic or with traffic? On paved trails? In Parks? Can I ride one and walk one? Can I cross roads/streets?
Free cookies for you at our next meeting if you can answer these questions!
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UNDERGROUNDING ORDINANCE GROUND TO TEMPORARY HALT. At the November 1 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting our Council's resolution in support of the revisions to the utility line Undergrounding Ordinance was part of the testimony. Unfortunately, due to absences and conflicts of interest, the nine member board was reduced to the minimum of four required to give the board's stamp of approval. The Chair's request for more information prevented the approval of the revisions. The P&ZC will consider this later and it appears likely that it will be approved at that level before moving on to the Assembly.
It was surprising that only Hillside area Councils were present to speak for the revisions. The ordinance prioritizes undergrounding for about every other part of town before the Hillside!
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COUNCILS CENTER BUDGET You've heard the sorrowful story of the severe cuts to the Council Center's budget. That's the office that provides the logistics to all of Anchorage's Community Councils. Mailing the newsletters is the most visible work. Last year, the Center's budget was cut from a long standing $108,000 to $26,000. Things continued adequately because the frugal operation had extra cash saved up.
That is no longer the case and this year's request for $134,000 seems unlikely to get far.
Our councils will adjust to the tight budget by pitching in for more of the costs.
If you REALLY want a hard copy of the newsletter instead of email, please pitch in. The cost is at least 45c per month for 9 months of mailings. That's about $5.
Send a check with your address to the Councils Center 401 E. Northern Lights Blvd., Ste. 204 Anchorage, Alaska 99503-2814.
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THE "Don't Be An S.O.V." campaign encourages people to try an alternate form of transportation at least once during Clean Air Transportation Week, November 15-19.
SOV is Single Occupance Vehicle. Share a ride to our next meeting!
The campaign asks local residents to pledge to carpool, take a bus, ride a bike, walk or telecommute from home at least once during Clean Air Transportation Week November 15-19. All of these rideshare methods can lead to reducing the number of single occupant vehicles on the roads. An individual who chooses to use one of these alternate forms of transportation one day in five reduces his use of the single occupant vehicle by 20% during that work week. Pledges received by the Public Transportation Department by November 19 will be eligible for prizes provided by Anchorage businesses. Pledge forms are available at , by calling Anchorage Share-A-Ride at 562-7665, and on People Mover buses.
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For Beverage Trash & Illegal Campers Call Ed O'Neill's Cleanup Hotline 563-3815 ext. 225
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Mid-HillsideBoard Members
John Weddleton -President 349-8370 john@weddleton.com Brian Johnson -Vice President 345-5883 brian.johnson2@akanch.ang.af.mil
Tom O'Grady -Secretary 345-6948 ogrady@gci.net
Linda Perkins -Treasurer 346-2558 miniaturehorses@alaska.com
Kim Ross -Registrar 344-0333 kimross@alaska.com
John Jenkins 240-8609
Shirley McGrath 345-1606 smcgrath@alaska.net
Mark Miner 336-2383 akminers@ak.net
Lance Powell 346-2327 lwpowell@juno.com
Hillside East Board Members
Tom Newins, President 345-8881 newins@gci.net
Bjarne Holm, Vice President robinholm@ak.net