Sitka panel weighs splitting Halibut Point Road lot in two

The City and Borough of Sitka Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday, Oct. 7, on Theresa Weiser's request to divide a vacant residential lot at 1403 Halibut Point Road into two. Her application says the larger lot is for "my retirement home" and the smaller one for a future duplex with two long-term rentals.

The meeting starts at 7 pm at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Weiser and Juan Belcher are the owners of record. The property lies in the R-1 district, which Sitka code designates for single-family homes and duplexes.

Sitka code sets an R-1 minimum lot area of 6,000 square feet. The staff report puts the lot at 29,975 square feet and the proposed lots at 11,204 and 18,774 square feet, both above that minimum. Staff recommends approval, with conditions including municipal permits for all utilities and demolition or relocation of a shed in the access easement before final plat approval.

The filing is a preliminary plat, the first stage of the surveyed map that fixes lot lines in the public record. Under the city's subdivision guidance, approval takes at least two Planning Commission hearings, so a preliminary approval Wednesday would not complete the split.

Residents can testify at the hearing or submit written comments to the Planning Office before the commission acts.