A Chugach substation rebuild draws a neighbor's concern over transformers near a home

Chugach Electric's plan to rebuild its Campbell Lake substation in south Anchorage goes before the Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday, with a member of the project's community advisory group asking for changes to protect a next-door resident from two transformers she says would sit close to his home.

Kate Petoskey, who serves on the Working Group Chugach convened for the rebuild, submitted a comment asking that if the utility won't move the transformers — which she said a neighbor reports would sit less than 4 feet from his house — it at least plant "a treed buffer" next to the property "to lessen the negative impacts and loss of quiet enjoyment." She noted the neighbor is a first responder who could be dispatched to an incident at a Chugach substation.

Petoskey said the Working Group met three times, in February, March and April, and that concerns about the neighboring lot came up both there and at Chugach's May community meeting, but that the group was not reconvened to discuss where the transformers would go. The Working Group issued no formal position on the project, she said, and a recent serious injury will keep her from Monday's hearing.

Chugach says the rebuild will replace aging equipment, improve reliability and meet current safety standards, with concrete barriers around the transformers to muffle noise. The utility is seeking two variances — to reduce landscaping widths on several property lines and to raise the fence height by six inches — which it says are needed to keep mature vegetation and secure the site. The Planning Department's staff report found the project meets the criteria with minimal impacts and recommended approval.

The substation, built in 1976, serves about 4,600 properties in south Anchorage. The rebuild follows a 2024 order from the Municipal Board of Adjustment requiring new public outreach; a proposed 65-foot communication tower has since been dropped. Construction is expected to begin in 2028. The comment record includes no response from Chugach to Petoskey's request.