Holtan Hills Development Proposal
The Holtan Hills project in Girdwood has brought the attainable housing crisis to the forefront. In simple terms, the opportunity before the Assembly is to sell three Heritage Land Bank Parcels to CY Investments, LLC in order to develop a new housing subdivision.
The Assembly is currently considering AO 2022-103(S-1), an updated version of the ordinance authorizing the sale. The item was postponed from the January 10 meeting agenda and will be taken up for action at the February 7 meeting.
Documents from January 6 worksession:
Documents from December 2 worksession:
Accessory Dwelling Units
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are housing units built on private property in addition to existing housing structures. Often smaller than most single-family homes, ADUs are an important component of the Anchorage 2040 Land Use Plan, which sets a target of 1,000 new ADUs in the Anchorage Bowl by 2040.
At the December 20 Regular Assembly Meeting, the Assembly heard public testimony on AO 2022-107, an ordinance that amends Title 21 to make building ADUs and increasing this type of housing more efficient, affordable and desirable to property owners. As proposed, changes include:
Removing the owner occupancy requirement
Allowing ADUs to be added to a single unit or duplex
- Specifying that ADUs can be up to 900 SF or 40% of the principal structure, whichever is larger (but smaller than the main unit)
Removing the vehicle storage requirement
At a worksession on December 16, the MOA Planning Department and community stakeholders presented their proposal for the ADU Code Update Project, including the research prompting proposed changes. The Assembly will continue review of AO 2022-107 in 2023.
Elimination of Parking Minimums
At the November 22 Assembly meeting, the Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to eliminate parking minimum requirements in all areas of the municipality and add requirements for bicycle parking through the adoption of AO 2022-80(S), As Amended, sponsored by Assembly Members Daniel Volland, Kevin Cross and Forrest Dunbar.
The approved version of the ordinance makes the following changes to Title 21 in the Anchorage municipal code that addresses parking and site access:
- Eliminates parking minimum requirements citywide - as a result,Title 21 will no longer require developments in the Municipality to provide a minimum number of off-street parking spaces and developers will decide how many parking spaces to include on each site.
- Increases accessible spaces (ADA parking) ratios when parking is provided.
- Creates requirements for bicycle parking.
- Establishes a menu of alternative transportation amenities that developers can choose from for larger developments.
When crafting the ordinance, the sponsors set the following goals:
- Make it more affordable to build housing and commercial development in Anchorage
- Give designers and developers increased flexibility
- Simplify proposed changes to Title 21
- Encourage adaptive re-use of vacant properties
- Prioritize the creation of connected public spaces over empty swaths of pavement
- Help accommodate non-motorized, multimodal travel
Participate
Committee on Housing & Homelessness
|  Guide to Testimony
|  Assembly Focus on Homelessness |