Anchorage Assembly to take up code fix clearing path for Girdwood parks plan

Ordinance Would Redirect Girdwood Park Plans to Standard Review Process

Girdwood's forthcoming parks plan would no longer go through site plan review under an ordinance the Anchorage Assembly takes up Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The measure, submitted at the request of Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, would send Turnagain Arm park master plans through the master-plan process already used elsewhere in Anchorage. For every park master plan proposal, the parks and recreation commission would hold a public meeting that includes an opportunity for oral public comment.

Master plans for parks classified as community use areas, special use areas, or natural resource use areas over 30 acres would go to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Plans for neighborhood use areas and natural resource use areas of 30 acres or fewer would be approved administratively by the director. The $1 million threshold for site plan review of individual park projects does not change.

At the commission's June 8 hearing, Current Planning Manager Elizabeth Appleby said the amendment "would clarify the review process for park master plans in the Turnagain Arm area." Appleby said the problem surfaced in the draft Girdwood Parks Plan. The commission recommended approval unanimously. No reviewing agency objected, and no member of the public commented.

The Girdwood Board of Supervisors supported the change by a 4-1 vote on May 18. The Assembly has not yet acted on the ordinance.