Title 21 Rewrite (main page)
Description
As part of the implementation of
Anchorage 2020 – Anchorage Bowl Comprehensive Plan, the Municipality of Anchorage, Planning Department has hired Clarion Associates, a consulting firm from Denver, Colorado, to write a new land use code of regulations. The purpose of the code rewrite is to modernize Anchorage's land use regulations to include development techniques and design standards; to make the code more useable and easier to understand; and to implement recently adopted plans and policies.
Throughout the project, the consultants will draw on comments and direction that has been received from the Municipal Assembly, Planning & Zoning Commission, Title 21 Citizens Advisory Committee, key stakeholders, municipal staff, and the general public. The overall project, started in spring 2002, is expected to go to the Assembly in the fall of 2006.
Background
The basic structure of Title 21 – Land Use Planning, of the Municipal Code of Ordinances, is essentially the same as it was when first adopted by the Greater Anchorage Area Borough in 1969. Unification of the Municipality in 1975 resulted in the blending of City and Borough Codes into the current Municipal Code of Ordinances, including Title 21, which was adopted in 1977. Since then, there have been numerous specific amendments to Title 21 provisions but these have been done on an as-needed basis, without an evaluation of the overall Title as to its organization, need for updating, or ease of use by the general public. Over time, some Title provisions have become dated, and cross-referencing of information has become more cumbersome and difficult for users, particularly for those not familiar with the Title.
These problems have become more pronounced with the adoption of the
Anchorage 2020 – Anchorage Bowl Comprehensive Plan. This plan introduces planning principles and policies that the current Title 21 is not equipped to handle. As a result, Title 21 requirements can be contrary to the policies of the comprehensive plan. For example, policies promoting mixed-use development in certain areas of the Bowl such as Major Employment Centers, Redevelopment/Mixed Use Areas, or Town Center areas cannot be easily achieved with the current regulations for commercial zones in these areas.
Many of the strategies listed in Anchorage 2020 for plan implementation involve revisions to specific chapters or provisions of Title 21. Due to the increased disparity between the Title’s provisions and comprehensive plan policies, the Municipality has determined that an overall diagnostic review of the Title is necessary, followed by a rewrite of the overall Title, the scope of which will be determined through the diagnostic analysis.
In November 2004, the Mayor's Real Estate Task Force, with assistance from the Planning Department, "tested" the proposed development standards in Module 3 in a three and a half day workshop. With the help of three consultants, they examined seven recent development projects, including single- and multi-family residential and commercial developments, to identify issues of building the projects under current code requirements and under the proposed standards. Results of the workshop can be found under Project 21 (Title 21 Rewrite)
Documents for Review.