Mat-Su platting board approves five-tract Knik-Fairview subdivision after neighbor raises pond concerns

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Platting Board on Thursday approved without objection a five-tract split of 72 acres in Knik-Fairview, after a neighbor raised concerns about a pond on the property.

The preliminary plat for Koppenberg Estates Phase 2, the step before a final plat, creates tracts from 6.76 to 36.45 acres north of South Foxworth Drive. Platting Technician Matthew Goddard said the plan requires extending A Street, and the existing cul-de-sac at its end must be removed once the extension is built and its warranty ends.

A neighbor living behind the pond for over 13 years told the board sandhill cranes nest there yearly and moose pass through. The neighbor said the pond has tripled in size, and building on what the neighbor called swampland could cause sewage erosion and a safety problem.

Landowner Aaron Koppenberg said there were no plans to fill the pond, and that state aerial photos dating to 1949 show "the pond has remained exactly the same size it is."

Goddard said public comments raised "impacts on local wildlife, flooding and impacts on the pond on the property." No state or federal agency objected, and the Army Corps of Engineers did not comment. The owner would still need any Corps permits deemed necessary, staff told the board.

Reconsideration petitions are due within 10 days of the board's written notice; appeals to the borough appeals board, costing $500, within 21 days.