Assembly Retreat on Housing Action

Friday, May 19, 2023

9am - 5pm

Loussac Library, Events Center

The Assembly will join industry experts, planners, builders and development agencies in a full-day Assembly Retreat on Housing Action​.

Building on a fall 2022 session that produced the list of policy ideas currently in progress, the retreat will ground policy makers in local housing data, lessons learned and expert advice to drive housing action through the rest of the year. 

It's a full-day retreat and we recognize that can be a significant commitment.  If you can't join us for the entire day, we want to encourage participation in the facilitated conversation from 2pm - 5pm.

Join us in-person or tune into the Youtube livestream​ anytime.  

​

Retreat Agenda​

​9:00am​      ​Watch Part 1	​WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS Assembly Chair Christopher Constant​
​9:30am​      ​Watch Part 1	​INTRODUCTIONS
​10:00am    ​Watch Part 1​	​THE UPSIDE DOWN OF HOUSING IN ANCHORAGE Nolan Klouda, UAA Center for Economic Development View Presentation
​10:30am	​BREAK
​10:45am ​   ​Watch Part 2	​HOUSING ACTION IN ACTION Assembly Members Cross & Volland with Allie Hartman
​​10:55am ​   ​Watch Part 2	​HOUSING INCENTIVE RESEARCH Mike Robbins, Anchorage Community Development Authority View Presentation​
​​11:05am ​   ​Watch Part 2	​WORKING LUNCH: HOUSING PREFERENCE AND DEMAND  Kristine Bunnell & Daniel Mckenna-Foster, MOA Long Range Planning View Presentation
​​​12:45pm    ​Watch Part 3​	​THE INDUSTRY SPEAKS PANEL DISCUSSION  Tyler Robinson, Cook Inlet Housing Authority Ashley Plooy, Brick & Birch Homes Andre Spinelli, Spinell Homes Mike Robbins, Anchorage Community Development Authority
​2:00pm     ​Watch Part 4​	​VISION TO ACTION FACILITATED CONVERSATION
4:30pm     ​Watch Part 4​	​IN CLOSING
​The retreat is followed by a wrap-up event that is open to all participants and members of the public: 5:30-7pm, King Street Brewery, 9050 King St, Anchorage, AK 99515​

Retreat Materials​

Geek out with us about housing policy! 

May 2023 Housing White Paper
The Municipality of Anchorage Planning Department recently published May 2023 Housing White Paper and 7 appendices in a separate PDF. The white paper is a product of collaboration between Long Range Planning (MOA LRP), the Anchorage Health Department (AHD) and Anchorage Community Development Authority (ACDA) with inputs from community plans, studies and surveys to align housing policy efforts. The white paper includes general information about housing preference and demand, permit information, frontline perspectives, reforms in other communities and some ideas for moving forward. 

​20​23 Investments

​​​At the April 25 Regular Assembly Meeting, the Anchorage Assembly approved legislative items to finalize the 2023 General Government Operating Budget in the first quarter. Amendments emphasized the Assembly’s top priority of 2023: Housing Action.

• Fund the 2023 Assembly Housing Summit to set a long-term, community-driven vision and action plan for housing development across the Municipality
• Fund a municipal-wide housing study of short term rentals (STR)
• Fund a feasibility study for developing manufactured housing communities
• Fund a real estate consultant to protect Heritage Land Bank’s public interest in the potential Holtan Hills land development
• Fund the revival of the municipal Graffiti Busters Program
• Leverage private, federal and state grant funding to restore some public transit services to South Anchorage, Eagle River and Chugiak, increase evening, weekend and holiday service and accommodation services
• Fund a direct grant to the Anchorage Affordable Housing and Land Trust (AAHLT) to support tenants, enhanced staffing operations, security and training

Holtan Hills Development Proposa​l

The Holtan Hills project in Girdwood has brought the attainable housing crisis to the forefront. In simple terms, the plan brought before the Assembly proposed to sell three Heritage Land Bank Parcels to CY Investments, LLC in order to develop a new housing subdivision.

At the February 7 meeting, the Assembly voted to postpone AO 2022-103(S-1) indefinitely, effectively stopping the plan as proposed. 

Documents from January 6 worksession​:

• ​AO 2022-103(S)​
  
• AO 2022-103(S-1)
  
• 2022-103(S-1) -​ FA 1
  
• A​M 30-2023
  
• HH Powerpoint 23.01​.06
  

Documents from December 2 worksession​:​​

• AO 2022-103
  
• AO 2022-10​3(S)
  
• AM on 2022-103(S)
  
• 2022-1202 HLB Holtan Hills RFP and Project Timeline
  
• 2022-1202 Summary of Public Comments on Holtan Hills Project
  
• 2022-1202 MOA Presentation on HoltanHills for worksession
  
• Website link: Holton Hills documents presented to the HLB Advisory Commission​
• Website link: ​HLB information on the MOA Real Estate website​
  
• 2022-1013 Holtan Hills Planning Memo
  
• 2022-1221 Holtan Hills Presentation on rezone
  
• 2022-1102 HoltanHillsPresentation to HLBAC
  
• 2022-1202 Holtan Hills Rental Eval​
  
  

Accessory Dwelling Units

A​ccessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) a​​re 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, c​hanges 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. 

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