Fairbanks borough officer to reconsider approving merger of 17 Salcha lots into one

A Fairbanks North Star Borough hearing officer will reconsider Thursday, Nov. 19, a request he approved last month to merge 17 privately owned lots along the Richardson Highway in Salcha into one parcel of about 37.98 acres.

Bennett Engineering filed the request on behalf of landowner Terry Wayne Harriman. It would erase the interior lines between the lots near Milepost 319. The land is vacant.

Hearing Officer Kellen Spillman gave the merger preliminary approval Oct. 22 with nine conditions. No one signed up to testify. "I think all the conditions are doable," a representative of Bennett Engineering told the hearing officer.

Borough code covers appeals of such decisions but does not mention reconsideration, and the Nov. 19 agenda does not say who asked for it or why.

Before the October hearing, borough Transportation Planner D. Galligan wrote in comments in the staff report that the borough's understanding is the area is to be developed into "some sort of resort," which would bring significant traffic. He wrote that it may require a Transportation Impact Analysis. The hearing packet contains no resort application.

The land is zoned for low-density homes, with up to two on a lot, and any new use or structure needs a zoning permit. One condition requires a state permit and Federal Highway Administration approval for any new driveway onto the Richardson, an Interstate highway.

The hearing starts at 10 am and will take public testimony. Anyone who appears may appeal the decision in writing to the Borough Clerk's Office within 10 working days. The Platting Board hears appeals.