Anchorage will decide whether two Eagle River properties can drop old development limits

The Anchorage Assembly will decide in September whether two Eagle River properties can shed development restrictions that have sat on them for decades. One change would clear the way for apartments; the other would lift special limits on a commercial lot. Both come up at hearings early in the month.

The first, up Sept. 1, would let the owners of about an acre and a half near End and Davis streets build multifamily housing. The land has been zoned residential-office since 1985 under special limitations, and the owners, Shane and Amber Thom, want it rezoned for multifamily residential use. The city planning commission recommended approving the change in June. Some neighbors have raised concerns about added housing on the site; commissioner Jared Gardner said those are better dealt with when the owners apply for building permits than as part of the rezone itself. "I think a lot of the concerns can and should be addressed through the building permit process," he said.

The second, up Sept. 15, would remove parcel-specific restrictions on a roughly one-acre business lot in the Schroeder Subdivision, near Santa Maria Drive and the Old Glenn Highway. The change, requested by Blythe Alaskan, LLC, would leave the property as standard general-business zoning, subject to the usual rules but without the extra limitations it carries now. The planning commission also recommended approval. Two neighbors objected in writing, pointing to winter ice at the Old Glenn Highway corner, a moose corridor, and a road with no sidewalk.

Residents can still weigh in before either vote. Written and phone testimony is due by 5 p.m. the day before each hearing through the city's public testimony form, and in-person testimony requires no sign-up.