Girdwood's park plans would move to Anchorage's standard public review

Girdwood takes its outdoors seriously — trails, ski runs, the works — so how the town plans its parks matters to the people who use them. An ordinance before the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday would change how those plans get reviewed.

Right now, Girdwood's park master plans run through a separate site-plan review. The ordinance would put them on the same track as the rest of Anchorage: every park plan would go before the parks and recreation commission at a public meeting with a chance to stand up and comment. Bigger parks would head to the Planning and Zoning Commission; smaller neighborhood ones would be signed off by the parks director.

The wrinkle surfaced while Girdwood was drafting its new parks plan. The Girdwood Board of Supervisors backed the change, and the planning commission recommended it unanimously. The Assembly votes Tuesday.