Girdwood Land Use Committee

Notice of Meeting on September 12, 2016

Minutes

Agenda Item LUC 1609-01:

Call to order: Chair Brian Burnett and Vice-Chair Lewis Leonard attending; Di Powers absent.

Agenda Approved for September 12, 2016 Meeting, with addition of New Business item.

Minutes Approved for August 8, 2016 Regular LUC Meeting with no changes

LUC Officer reports: None

Guests attending are Nicole Vogel-Jones, Heritage Land Bank and Hal Hart, Director of MOA Planning Department

Announcements:

LUC/GBOS Quarterly Meeting will be held September 19 at 6PM in the Girdwood Community Room. Main topic on this agenda is review of both group’s operating principles.

Lewis Leonard requests to add the following topic to that meeting agenda:

Agenda Item LUC 1609-04: Relationship between Girdwood Community Association, Land Use Committee and Girdwood Board of Supervisors: Clarification language to be added to each group’s operating principles

Agenda Item LUC 1609-02: Public Comment

Diana Livingston asks where the updated LUC documents are, as she has old ones printed in her binder. Lewis and Margaret confirm that completed document have been added to the www.muni.org/gbos website, and that is where updated operating principles will be available as well, once they’ve been approved by GBOS.

Agenda Item LUC 1609-03: Committee reports:

Trails Committee Report (Brian Burnett)

Monthly meeting on September 6.

Reminder to community that care should be taken when walking on airport property. No loose dogs, no walking on runway or taxiway as these activities can be dangerous.

Alyeska Highway resurface and work on Alyeska Highway Pedestrian Safety corridor. Work is continuing on the project. Currently peeling up asphalt on road to prepare for paving.

Lower Iditarod Trail: USFS hopes to have staff to work on this project from September 15-October 15. If permits are in place, they may be able to add gravel to low spots. If not, they should be able to achieve some brushing.

Trails Plan: Working on getting document formatted by professional so that work can continue on editing and presenting to GTC, LUC and GBOS.

Working on Memorandum of Understanding with USFS, MOA and GTC for California Creek/Abe’s Trail area. Current MOU expires 9/2017.

Discussed Girdwood Chamber hand drawn map and potential confusion that the map could cause. Brian is working with GCC on this. Lynne says that the next Girdwood Chamber meeting is WED Sept 14 at Girdwood Picnic Club from 5-7PM.

Girdwood Land Use Committee Meeting Agendas and minutes are available on line: http://www.muni.org/gbos

Future Grant Opportunities for GTC: Land and Water Conservation Grant, KMTA grant.

GTC is seeking extension of Anchorage Park Foundation grant as work on Lower Iditarod has been slowed by construction season this summer.

New members of GTC: Girdwood Mountain Bike Alliance. This group will attend Girdwood Nordic Ski Club meeting this week to discuss possible trail building within Nordic trail system area.

Next Trails Meeting is October 4.

Girdwood Area Plan Review Committee (Diana Livingston & Lewis Leonard)

Hal Hart attending this meeting, MOA Planning Director says city planning document almost wrapped up. He’s ready to plan a stakeholder meeting in Girdwood in the next couple of weeks. Planning Department will reach out to Girdwood 2020, Alyeska Resort, Girdwood Staff, and public with invitation to participate. Goal is to achieve consensus through strong community input so that the ideas of planning will last.

Cemetery Committee (Tommy O’Malley)

Kyle Kelley reports that land feasibility study is about to begin. Core Samples will be taken, study of wetlands and historic elements are to be reviewed to ensure that the land is suitable for cemetery purpose.

Title 21, Chapter 9 Review Committee (Tim Cabana & Marco Zaccaro)

Likely to get under way shortly as Tim is back from fishing season.

HLB Commission Report (Diana Livingston)

HLB minutes are posted on MOA site: http://www.muni.org/Departments/hlb/Pages/HLBCommission.aspx

Items on July agenda that related to Girdwood were:

For Sale sign on tract D-5 was placed to generate interest only. GBOS list of concerns regarding the tract would be worked out prior to any sale of the parcel.

Egloff Water item – complete
Amendment to the GW So Townsite master plan complete

Update on Industrial park is that plat recorded and design is almost complete. Expect construction to begin this fall on Phase I. Brian Burnett states that when plan was last presented to LUC it sounded like they would not be back with final plan. Nicole confirms that plan recorded on FRI last week. There have been several stakeholder meetings with current Phase I lessees, and some Phase II lessees have attended as well.

Lewis Leonard expresses concern about lighting. Light pollution issues are largely mitigated with modern LED lighting with hoods, keeping light at street level. Unlit industrial park brings security concerns and is unsafe. He requests that when Phase II is developed, lighting is added to phase I and III as well.

Nicole Vogel-Jones states that light pollution was concern of the community during public input. Possible that change in lighting in Phase II could be added to Phase III.

Jerry Fox adds that community has been sensitive to addition of tall light poles at most projects and have specifically requested shorter poles and less bright lights.

Resolution regarding Assembly approval of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Hand Tram approved and sent forward to Assembly. Nicole Vogel-Jones states that this has gotten stuck as the Hand Tram is outside of the Girdwood Service Area boundary and MOA funds cannot be put toward assets outside the GSA. Looking at options to resolve them. One option is to change the GSA boundary to include the hand tram and trail.

No HLBAC meeting in August.

September meeting agenda has no Girdwood items.

Diana mentions that Nicole Vogel-Jones hiked all the trails in Girdwood this summer and thanks her for her hard work and dedication to Girdwood land issues.

Old Business:

Agenda Item LUC 1503-07: Update on Law Enforcement in Girdwood.

Since LUC August meeting, GBOS was lobbied by Alyeska Resort to reconsider Alaska State Trooper option. As reported in August LUC meeting minutes, Alyeska Resort management believed that trooper option had been dismissed without enough consideration and public input. At the GBOS August Regular meeting, Alyeska Resort presented their concerns and requested a motion to consider AST policing option. However, no motion was made by GBOS.

Alyeska Resort Management then requested and received meeting with Sam Daniel, Eryn Boone with Kyle Kelley attending to discuss concerns further. Sam Daniel and Eryn Boone agreed to GBOS special meeting to re-consider. That meeting was held Sept 8, with motion to request written proposal passing 3-1. Written Proposal for Girdwood policing was requested of AST with list of key points provided by Public Safety Advisory Committee, Email was received from Col. Cockrell of AST declining the request for written proposal. This letter is posted on the www.muni.org/gbos website.

Troopers are set to withdraw October 1.

In the meantime, the Public Safety Advisory Committee has been working on Whittier contract. Two elements remain un-resolved:

911 Public Safety Access Point (PSAP). 911 calls should go to APD and be transferred to Whittier. Issue has been that telecommunications provider contract is under negotiation. APD has been asked to provide acceptable solution.

Written budget from Whittier Police Dept. WPD has provided only bottom line of budget, but no budget details. GVFD, as contractor for fire service in Girdwood, had similar arrangement until this year. PSAC has requested better detail, just as GBOS has requested comprehensive details from GVFD. This item has not been responded to yet from Whittier, other than to say that they don’t have accounting staff to dedicate to working on this.

Sam Daniel, as GBOS co-chair and Public Safety Supervisor, is requesting help from the MOA to resolve these issues so that contracting can continue. There should be more information on these items for the GBOS meeting next MON.

Agenda Item LUC 1608-07: Girdwood Family Village concept; 2nd presentation to LUC. TASC requests support for GBOS Resolution to addition of housing in conceptual planning and to consider increased housing density in South Townsite Master Plan to make Turnagain Arm Service Coalition (TASC) project viable.

Lynne Doran states that TASC began in 2012, recognizing similar needs of existing Clinic and Little Bears and prospective Rec Center to have suitable facilities, which they were not able to achieve separately. Current rec center needs are intermittently unavailable through Alyeska Resort facilities, and are cost prohibitive for many in the community.

Working together, plan was to create shared facility under MOA parks and rec ownership and management.

TASC met with HLB and were offered possibility of 6.8 acre parcel when funding was received for the project construction. When fundraising efforts didn’t achieve needed amount to build, TASC began looking for other alternatives.

Grace Pleasants is private multi-family developer who has experience in similar projects in the Lower 48. New concept is to combine needed housing component in to non-profit TASC group project. This will achieve housing for seniors, workforce, low income and disabled residents at rate lower than market price. There will also be market rate housing.

Members of TASC have discussed project and all are on board with exploring this public/private concept further. Project would no longer be owned/managed by Girdwood Parks & Rec, but by some other entity instead (likely a housing group, such as Cook Inlet Housing Authority, Neighbor Works, etc with a mission to provide non-profit housing in perpetuity), with land sale or lease by HLB still to be determined.

Poppy Handy is Seattle-based architect originally from Alaska, working for Third Place Design Cooperative. She has designed similar projects in Washington. She is also working with Anchorage local architect with Envision Architects.

Lewis Leonard asks if Poppy is familiar with Title 21, Chapter 9 design elements and if there will be exemptions to Title 21, Chapter 9 requested. Poppy states that this level of design has not yet been addressed, but she is familiar with land use regulations and group will work within Land Use code. If exemptions are needed, they will go through required process.

Poppy presents that community outreach and creation of a community based design are essential elements to the project success. She presents 2 projects that, although urban in design and concept, are similar combined-use projects, with child care, employment services, teen centers, micro-retail, etc.

Issaquah Family Village Project:	146 units

2.4 acre property

160 kids in child care center

Cost $181/SF

Cost $280/SF for total development

El Centro de la Raza project:	110 units

1 acre property

60 kids in child care center

Cost $240/SF

Cost $325/SF for total development

Project style incorporates housing below retail/non-profit space and housing beginning on 2nd level.

Both projects are tied in to community surrounding them, and are part of public transit system. Projects include environmental (water conservation, efficiency in heating and windows) and local art elements, which were particularly important to the communities in which they are built and their non-profit land owners.

Lewis Leonard asks about flood plain issue at existing site location, and possible need for 2nd exit to be built to accommodate number of residences in area.
Poppy states that this will need to be researched further. Will review flood plain information and figure out what is financially feasible, perhaps underground parking will not be the answer, but not making that determination yet. Regarding 2nd exit, this comes down to fire department and other stakeholders. In other locations as long as trucks could get within 150’ of the building, 2nd egress has not been required.

Brian Burnett asks about long term viability of project for Little Bears and Girdwood Clinic. Is it certain that they would be housed there in perpetuity? Grace Pleasants says yes, they are founding members of TASC, stakeholders in project and guaranteed placement. They will come to project with their own funding and assets: Clinic owns building and LB’s has funds as well as long-standing status in community. It is possible that group such as Bright Horizons may be part of partnership, but not necessarily.

Conceptual timeline includes public meetings starting at the end of 2016, feasibility study perhaps in 2017 when group will begin to seek possible funding partners. Possible preliminary design phase in mid-summer 2017.

Jerry Fox states that he supports project concept. All elements that are considered in this are needed in community. Concern about change from non-profit to private entity. Does this switch require project to go out to bid since it’s on HLB land? Nicole Vogel-Jones states that this is somewhat unclear and would need to be figured out.

Grace Pleasants would be private housing owner for for-profit market rate housing component.

Group is seeking under market rate housing owner, such as Cook Inlet Housing Authority, NeighborWorks, RuralCap. Such a master developer would have as their mission to hold non-profit housing in perpetuity, to develop and hold housing costs down below market rate.

2/3 of housing would be owned by them

1/3 owned by Grace Pleasants group

Similar projects presented earlier in meeting are owned by YWCA and El Centro de la Raza. Both hold their projects and are not supported by local tax funding. Girdwood doesn’t fit the need for public funding as community is relatively well-off, need to seek funding from non-traditional sources to make this work, ie tax credits, etc. MOA’s involvement is the land itself.

Poppy provides her research on Anchorage Area Median Income (AMI):

Family of 4 within MOA median income is $89,500/year

To qualify for 4% tax credit for construction, individuals earning $$65,800-$44,800/year would qualify for housing benefit.

Lewis recalls past housing development at Bird Houses that was low income, until it was sold off and no longer available at lower rates. Concern is how to establish that the intent for accommodating low income model will continue. Grace Pleasants states that there is no such restriction in Alaska yet, however that is why they seek partner with mission to fulfill low income housing need in perpetuity. Poppy states that it is likely that Alaska Housing Finance Corp (AHFC) has requirement tied to their funding, and Nicole Vogel-Jones states that MOA has way to provide control to ensure that projects meet such goals.

Buildable space in Girdwood is approximately 4 acres.

It is likely that adding housing component at a level that will make the project pencil out will require increase of housing density past current allotment of 80 units with 6-14 units/acre. This will require substantial public process.

Motion:

Diana Livingston reads draft GBOS Resolution 2016-11 in to the record

LUC moves to recommend that GBOS support Resolution 2016-11 as written.

Motion made by Diana Livingston, Jerry Fox 2nd

Motion Passes:

14 in favor, 0 opposed, 2 abstaining

New Business:

Agenda Item LUC 1609-04: Relationship between Girdwood Community Association, Land Use Committee and Girdwood Board of Supervisors: Clarification language to be added to each group’s operating principles.
Lewis Leonard presents the language that he recommends LUC and GBOS consider adding to operating principles of Girdwood Community Association, Land Use Committee and GBOS. This will codify the structure that is currently in place.

This will be modified somewhat and discussed at GBOS/LUC Quarterly Meeting on Monday, September 19 at 6PM along with other housekeeping items in operating principles.

Meeting adjourned 9:05PM