Girdwood petitioner seeks stream setback variance for house and bridge

A Girdwood developer wants to build a house, garage and bridge closer to a stream than borough code allows. Alyeska Serendipity, LLC is asking the Anchorage Zoning Board of Examiners and Appeals for dimensional variances that would let a house, a garage with an accessory dwelling unit and a connecting bridge encroach into Girdwood's 25-foot stream setback, along with the required front and side setbacks.

The 0.29-acre lot at 158 Northland Road is zoned gR-2, allowing single-family and two-family residences.

The board is scheduled to hear Case 2026-0125 on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the Loussac Library Assembly Chambers. The Planning Department's recommendation is due after 1 p.m. the Friday before the hearing.

The board has granted similar requests before. In July, it let a Girdwood cabin owned by Casey and Kirsten Brogan encroach two more feet into the 25-foot stream setback, moving from seven feet to nine.

Stream setbacks matter because of what runs through them. In a separate setback case last October, Susan Forbes told the board, "this feeds into a stream that has salmon in it."