A Caterpillar dealer wants to fill nearly 20 acres of south Anchorage wetlands to build a new store

NC Machinery is seeking permission to fill nearly 20 acres of wetlands in south Anchorage to build a new Caterpillar dealership and service center, placing more than 200,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel on a lot near West 100th Avenue. Filling wetlands for development is allowed under state and federal permits, which is the process the project is now entering.

The site has a development history. The same acreage was permitted in 2014 for an outlet mall that was never built. For the dealership, the company is proposing no new mitigation — the practice, common in wetlands permitting, of restoring or protecting wetlands elsewhere to offset those filled. The application does not spell out why, and whether that satisfies regulators is part of what the review will decide.

Before federal approval can move ahead, the state must certify that the project meets water-quality standards, and the state environmental agency has opened public comment on that step through Sept. 18. Regulators can approve the certification, attach conditions, deny it, or waive it. The project also calls for excavating eight feet of peat beneath the main building and installing four culverts.