Wasilla's road plan expired on a population forecast 38 percent too high

Wasilla's road plan assumed the city would have 13,399 residents by 2025. The state counts 9,724. The plan has expired anyway, and the comprehensive plan it was written to carry out was repealed 14 years ago.

The Planning Commission takes up replacing it Tuesday evening, along with the city's 2011 Parks and Trails Master Plan. Both are listed for discussion rather than action, at 6 pm in City Council Chambers.

Acting City Planner Crystal Nygard told commissioners in August that "the Roads Master Plan, which has expired, will be updated and that a request for proposal (RFP) will be issued soon," and that "the Parks Master Plan will be released for proposal as well."

Both plans were built to carry out Wasilla's 1996 comprehensive plan, which the city repealed in June 2011 — the same year both were written. The engineering firm DOWL is now drafting a third comprehensive plan, aimed at 2045, with steering committee meetings next month, a draft review in December and public comment running into January. That plan is supposed to direct the road and parks work now up for renewal.

The parks plan is older than it looks. Adopted in October 2011 on a 5-to-20-year horizon, it rests on a resident questionnaire from 2007 and inventories seven parks and a boat launch totaling about 167 acres. It recommends acquiring land along Cottonwood Creek and Lucille Creek, which its authors wrote "would allow for a continuous trail for cross country skiing, biking, walking and running similar to the Coastal Trail in Anchorage." That 2007 survey found 57 percent of respondents used city trails and 81 percent supported public funding for parks.

Residents can speak for up to five minutes on each item Tuesday. Written comments go to [email protected] by noon that day.