Wasilla plans Jan. 18-Feb. 15 public comment on draft 2045 comprehensive plan

Wasilla plans to take public comment on a draft of its 2045 Comprehensive Plan from Jan. 18 to Feb. 15, 2027, according to a schedule going to the city Planning Commission on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The schedule is an informational update, and the agenda lists no vote.

The plan is meant to serve as the city's foundational policy document through 2045, guiding decisions on land use, housing, transportation, public facilities, capital spending and development rules, according to an informational memo from Planning Clerk Juliah Barnett.

The City Council adopted Wasilla's current plan in June 2011. The city says growth since then created the need for an update. At the commission's Sept. 22 meeting, Crystal Nygaard, then the acting city planner, said recent applicants had to get familiar with the zoning map and "some of the inconsistencies that have happened over the years because we haven't kept it updated."

Consulting firm DOWL is writing the draft. The first open house, June 12, 2025, drew about 17 attendees, a count that includes project team members, members of the public and community officials. A Steering Committee has met through 2025 and 2026.

A memo from DOWL land use planner Karlie Lamothe, prepared for the committee's Oct. 29 online meeting, lists four plan elements: public facilities, transportation, economic development and land use. The proposed vision statement reads: "Wasilla is a family-centered community that leads Alaska in responsible, innovative growth while preserving small-town values, supporting local opportunity, and enhancing quality of life."

The memo says April exercises showed general support for more housing variety and housing near jobs and services, while density "remained a topic requiring further consideration." On Oct. 8, committee members considered potential revisions to the Future Land Use Map, which informs zoning districts.

The Steering Committee is scheduled to review the draft from Dec. 3 to Dec. 24. A public open house and engagement is planned the week of Jan. 18, when the comment period opens. The project site, Wasilla2045.com, lists a completion target of spring 2027.

After public comment, the plan faces four more steps:

1. Planning Commission public hearing and recommendation to the City Council.

2. City Council introduction of an adoption ordinance, then a hearing and final vote at a second meeting.

3. Mat-Su Borough Planning Commission public hearing and recommendation to the Borough Assembly.

4. Borough Assembly introduction, then a public hearing and final adoption at a second meeting.

Any of those meetings may include work sessions or amendments to the plan, the memo says.

The fiscal 2027 city budget calls the update 60% complete and shows a $125,850 available balance for it.