Eagle River hillside lot could lose the development limits set in 2002

Development limits placed on a steep Eagle River lot in 2002 would come off under an ordinance the Anchorage Assembly takes up Tuesday.

The parcel on Santa Maria Drive sits on roughly a 34 percent slope. The 2002 limits capped height, imposed setbacks and barred certain uses. Blythe Alaskan, LLC asked to drop them, leaving the lot zoned general business with no special conditions. The Planning Department found the limits are no longer necessary under current city code, and the area's comprehensive plan designates the property commercial. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval in June, and Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's administration also recommends it.

Jeiner Leon, who lives on Santa Maria Drive, testified in writing that lifting the limits would "reduce the permeability of the soil and increase the runoff" on a storm drain system he called already compromised. He pointed to groundwater overflow last winter that iced the corner of Santa Maria Drive and the Old Glenn Highway. Leon also raised traffic, privacy and sunlight. A second resident cited the moose corridor and the lack of a sidewalk.

The commission said those concerns belong in the building permit process.

A public hearing is set for Sept. 15. The rezone would take effect immediately on passage.