Anchorage Assembly gets townhome and heavy industrial rezones as Muni.org relaunches

Two zoning map changes were on the Anchorage Assembly's Nov. 4 agenda. One would turn 6.53 acres of neighborhood business land in Century Village into mixed residential zoning. The other would rezone 9.15 acres between East 3rd and 4th avenues to heavy industrial. The Planning Department supports both.

Assembly takes up Century Village residential rezone and Post Road industrial rezone

The Century Village ordinance would rezone two lots from B-1A, local and neighborhood business, to R-2M, mixed residential. The site sits west of Patterson Street and north of East Tudor Road, in the Scenic Foothills Community Council area. The Patterson Townhome Condominium Association asked for the change.

As of late October, 44 townhomes stood on the land even though it is zoned for shops, and no one had objected to the rezone. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval Aug. 3. The Planning Department said the current zoning does not implement the site's Compact Mixed Residential – Medium designation in the Anchorage 2040 Land Use Plan, while R-2M does.

The Post Road ordinance would rezone five parcels from B-3, general business, to I-2, heavy industrial. The land lies between East 3rd and 4th avenues, from Ingra Street to Post Road.

The change depends on a companion ordinance that would redesignate the site as General Industrial in the 2040 plan. The Planning Department said the rezone meets all approval criteria, and the commission recommended it unanimously Aug. 3.

The administration estimates each rezone would cost local government less than $30,000.

Muni.org relaunches, replacing a site from the early 2000s

The Municipality launched a redesigned Muni.org on Oct. 30, replacing a site built in the early 2000s that its original vendor no longer supported.

The new site works on phones and adds sitewide search, a chatbot, translation into 80 languages and stronger security. The city said it meets Americans with Disabilities Act standards and web accessibility guidelines.

The city plans to keep refining the site in the coming months and asks residents to report problems through the feedback form at the bottom of the site.