Anchorage weighs Muldoon Road marijuana store amid neighbor objections

A marijuana retail store could open at 1431 Muldoon Road under a proposal the Anchorage Assembly takes up Tuesday, over objections from neighbors and a community council that asked for wider buffers around parks and schools. Municipal staff recommend approval. The hearing at the Loussac Library Assembly Chambers, 3600 Denali St., is set to start no earlier than 6 p.m., and the Assembly will take public testimony on the item.

The proposal would grant Baltazar Holdings, LLC, owned by Baltazar Arias and doing business as Sensimilla, a retail license and special land use permit for a 1,508-square-foot store inside Baltazar's Tire Shop.

At a meeting on March 20, 2025, the Northeast Community Council rejected a proposed operating agreement with the business, 51-38. That vote concerned the memorandum of understanding, not the 2026 permit application now before the Assembly. The council took no recorded vote formally opposing the current application. At the same meeting, members passed a resolution, 49-34 with one abstention, asking the municipality to require buffers greater than 1,000 feet between marijuana establishments and parks, schools and similar uses.

Staff found the site meets Title 21 distance rules. Chanshtnu Muldoon Park abuts the property to the north. The code measures separation to protected playground equipment rather than the park boundary, and staff put the nearest playground at about 734 feet. The department recommended approval with conditions, including closure from midnight to 8 a.m. and a compliant parking plan, which the site currently lacks.

The Planning Department mailed 539 notices on July 1 and received two opposition comments. Justin Wilson, who lives nearby, wrote that the store would sit next to a children's park, near family homes, across from a behavioral health clinic and within walking distance of a middle school. Kathleen Barnett cited families and children using paths along Chester Creek, Chanshtnu Muldoon Park and the Muldoon Town Center, and said Nicholas J. Begich Middle School is less than a mile away.

In its application narrative, the business said it would comply with municipal and state code, maintain 24-hour video surveillance and a no-loitering policy, bar anyone under 21 from the premises, and continue regular communication with neighbors and the community council. The applicant reported attending multiple community council meetings and hosting a community meeting at the site.

A 2024 application for the site expired without a hearing. Residents who want to weigh in on the current one can testify at Tuesday's hearing.