Anchorage Platting Board to hear request to vacate unused railroad easement on 104th Avenue lot

Patrick Whalen wants to combine two lots into one 3.7-acre heavy-industrial parcel at 126 W. 104th Ave. His application also asks the city to vacate an unused railroad easement and excess street right-of-way. The Anchorage Platting Board hears the request Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Loussac Library. Residents can request phone testimony by emailing [email protected] by 2 p.m. that day.

The 31-foot easement never carried track. The Alaska Railroad Corporation has no objection, according to the application.

Trimming 10 feet from each of Cordova Street, West 104th Avenue and West 106th Avenue would leave 70 feet, meeting the city's Official Streets and Highways Plan, staff said.

"The railroad easement is not Alaska Railroad right-of-way," Senior Planner Shawn Odell wrote in the Anchorage Planning Department's analysis. The strip "appears to be unutilized for potential on-site industrial railcar use."

Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility estimates assessments of $5,040.80 and $5,067.77, plus SAAF charges, once platting is complete. Future development could require Class A upgrades to Cordova Street or West 106th Avenue.

As of the staff report, the city had mailed 72 notices and received no comments. Staff recommends approval if Whalen resolves utility easements, acknowledges the assessments and records a plat within 24 months.