Anchorage commission backs Eagle River rezone over two neighbors' objections

Two Eagle River neighbors are objecting to a proposed rezone that would strip a 1.04-acre lot on Santa Maria Drive of building limits imposed in 2002, arguing the lot floods and that moose and nesting birds rely on it. The Anchorage Assembly makes the final call, and residents can testify at a hearing Sept. 15.

The restrictions up for removal include a 30-foot height cap, a one-driveway limit, and a required 20-foot landscaped buffer with a sight-obscuring fence along two lot lines, the provisions the neighbors say protect them. Blythe Alaskan LLC, which applied for the rezone, wants them lifted. The Anchorage Planning Department recommended approval, and the Planning and Zoning Commission agreed in June, finding the old limits no longer serve a purpose under the city's land use code and pose no health or safety risk. The lot sits on a steep slope.

The neighbors see it differently. Jeiner Leon warned that paving the lot would overwhelm storm drains, writing that this past winter groundwater overflowed nearby and froze into an icy mound that spread across sidewalks and into traffic lanes. He also cited a busy intersection and a narrow, sidewalk-less road with a steep grade.

Ginnette Navas Alfaro pointed to wildlife. "Moose use this pathway year-round to feed and have safe travel along the neighborhood of Santa Maria Dr," she wrote, and said the height and driveway limits preserve views, winter sun and traffic flow.

The commission found no objections from reviewing agencies, and said the building permit process should address many of the concerns the neighbors raised.