Anchorage may let duplex owners sell half the house and its land

Anchorage may let owners of duplexes in single-family neighborhoods sell off one unit — and the ground beneath it — as its own parcel. A Planning Department proposal to do that goes before the Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 3.

The tool, a "unit lot subdivision," already exists but is allowed in only a few zones; the proposal extends it across most residential districts. It wouldn't raise how much can be built or change setbacks or lot sizes — a finished project would look identical to one built under a single owner. Only the ownership splits: two homes on one lot could become two separately sellable lots.

It follows Anchorage allowing accessory units everywhere residential in 2022 and duplexes in 2023, under Mayor LaFrance's goal of 10,000 homes in 10 years. The tool has barely been used since the city created it in 2017.

The Rabbit Creek Community Council pressed on how it works day to day. "We are concerned about potential conflicts around maintenance, access, etc.," co-chair Ann Rappoport wrote, asking whether an untrained homeowner can really form a homeowners' association to govern a split lot. The city's answer: whoever creates the subdivision writes the HOA terms, and buyers are bound by them.

The commission takes testimony before recommending to the Assembly, which decides.