Anchorage commission to weigh Chugach's revised Campbell Lake substation permit Aug. 10

Substation Rebuild Returns to Planning Commission After Board of Adjustment Remand

A rebuild of the 50-year-old substation serving roughly 4,600 properties in south Anchorage returns to the Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 10, two years after the Municipal Board of Adjustment remanded the project's earlier approval on the finding that the community meeting had been insufficient. Chugach Electric Association's new application for the Campbell Lake Substation drops the 65-foot communication tower entirely, but it still asks the commission to relax two development standards.

The commission approved both a rebuild and the tower in October 2023 in the surrounding R-1 single-family district, while denying a variance for an 11.5-foot fence. On May 22, 2024, acting on an appeal by the Southport Master Association, the Board of Adjustment remanded the conditional use cases. Chugach restarted the project this year with a new consultant, formed a working group with Bayshore/Klatt residents in January, and told that group it would abandon the tower and lease fiber instead.

Two Variance Requests Remain

Both remaining requests are variances: departures from the code's dimensional standards, which the Planning Division describes as intended for unusual physical circumstances and "not to be used to avoid complying with the code." One would allow a 10.5-foot fence, six inches above the cap for substation fencing and a half-foot below the 11.5-foot fence the commission rejected in 2023. The other would reduce planting bed widths and plant counts along three property lines. Staff recommends approval of the conditional use and both variances, and no reviewing agency objected.

An Abutting Owner's Objection

One abutting property owner does object. Nathan Stephens questioned the noise study's accuracy and asked that the transformer and switchgear locations be swapped to move the transformers farther from his house, requesting "that reasonable efforts be made to place the equipment in the location that minimizes impacts on my ability to enjoy my property." That study calculated a combined noise level of 57.3 dBA at the nearest residence, an increase of less than one tenth of a decibel over existing conditions. The project's electrical engineer said the swap would compromise maintenance access. Six additional trees were added to the landscape plan after a June 9 site visit by the landscape architect.

The hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 10 at Loussac Library, and written comments to the Planning Department enter the record. Construction is targeted for 2028.