Sitka planners to hear request to split a Halibut Point Road lot in two

Theresa Weiser is asking the City and Borough of Sitka Planning Commission to divide a single residential lot at 1403 Halibut Point Road into two. The commission will hold a public hearing and consider the request at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Harrigan Centennial Hall. The property lies in the R-1 district, which Sitka code designates for single-family homes and duplexes. Weiser and Juan Belcher are the owners of record. Weiser's application says the larger lot is for "my retirement home" and the smaller one for a future duplex with two long-term rentals.

The filing is a preliminary plat for a minor subdivision: a plat is the surveyed map that fixes lot lines in the public record, and the preliminary version is the first stage. Under the city's subdivision guidance, approval requires at least two Planning Commission hearings. A preliminary approval Wednesday would not, on its own, complete the split.

Sitka code sets an R-1 minimum lot area of 6,000 square feet. The staff report puts the vacant 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.

Residents can still weigh in before the commission acts. Testimony is limited to three minutes per person unless the chair sets other limits at the start of the item. Written comments may be dropped off at the Planning Office in City Hall, 100 Lincoln St., or emailed to [email protected].