Kodiak developer seeks to shrink Cliff Point Estates and rezone for stronger stream protections

Oceanfront Kodiak asked the Kodiak Island Borough Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday to consolidate 21 vacant lots into 6 along Cliff Point Road and rezone them from Rural Residential 2 to Conservation District, a shift that would more than double the minimum lot size and require a 50-foot buffer around a small salmon-bearing creek.

The commission reviewed the request during a work session packet review. No public testimony was taken.

Stream Protections

The rezone carries a concrete consequence for Cliff Point Creek, which sees a small pink salmon run every couple of years. Community Development Director Chris French told commissioners that Conservation District zoning already requires a 50-foot buffer from anadromous streams at the time of any zoning compliance permit. The current Rural Residential 2 zoning carries no such requirement at the borough level. "In the RR-2, there isn't such a requirement," French said. "With the applicant going back to the C District, it brings that requirement in place for any development that takes place."

Michael Martin, manager of Oceanfront Kodiak, said the move toward larger lots was deliberate. "By going to this larger model, we're one, reducing the footprint of potential homes, increasing those environmental protections, and getting back to that sort of model that Kodiak was known for that makes it such a special place," Martin said.

Assembly Holds the Binding Vote

Staff recommended the commission forward approval to the Borough Assembly. French said the Assembly ordinance would make the rezoning effective only upon submittal of all four final plats, consistent with similar cases in Ouzinkie and Old Harbor. The Assembly holds the binding vote on the rezone ordinance.