Video Clips
Quoted moments from Alaska public meetings, hearings, and press conferences.
Bruce Schulte
“I think those are solvable. I think that some amount of trees either within Chugach property or on Mr. Stevens' property could solve that problem, and I would encourage Chugach to get with Mr. Stevens and get some resolution of that, something that both sides can live with, because other than that, I think this is a greatly improved project from the community perspective.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Amma Abaza
“So if we do postpone, does that mean that a second public hearing would happen and the public has a chance to comment again?”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Edith McKee
“I don't think that we've heard enough from the community members that showed up, and the plans here don't currently reflect what will be proposed in the design, which makes it difficult.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Edith McKee
“I move in case 2026-0095 to postpone approval of the context-sensitive solutions transportation project review plans in hand for AMATS Mountain Air Drive extension until after a updated 65% design is submitted.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Bruce Schulte
“Having been involved with the initial appeal of the previous project, I will say that this, this reiteration, both the process and the design, are very much improved. The CHUH-GAAT did do away with the, the elements of the original design that were most concerning.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Andres Spinelli
“I also intend to support the motion. I think taking time on this project in particular would be beneficial.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
John Rodda
“So the department is recommending approval of the conditional use and the two variances, um, ABC, and two conditions of approval on page 11 of your packet.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Taryn Olson-Yell
“So we're asking for 6 additional inches to allow us to have 1 foot of that protective security wire on the top, and we have a 9.5-foot wooden fence that is a match as best as we can with the adjacent fences in the neighborhood.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Taryn Olson-Yell
“The project includes a complete replacement of the existing substation, so we are installing 2 new transformers for needed redundancy, and those 2 transformers are enclosed on 3 sides by a concrete barrier for additional visual and noise buffering.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Janice Zilko
“This design places the burden of the CEA rebuild disproportionately on the family next door when additional, additional options appear feasible. We don't believe this design meets standards of Criteria 4 nor 7 for CUP approval, nor does it meet the standard for variances, which states approval will not adversely affect the use of adjacent property.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Taryn Olson-Yell
“Uh, following the public meetings, we did have additional meetings with the adjacent property owner, and we have since incorporated 6 additional evergreen trees in between their residential fence and Chugach's proposed ornamental security fence.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Janice Zilko
“I believe CEA can do better landscaping in this area. Between the two fences, the space is tight at the west corner, but there are very attractive, relatively fast fast-growing, ultra-compact landscape trees that are commonly used in tight spaces and anchorage.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Chelsea Bailey
“The addition of the 7-foot buffer and an 8-foot multi-use path paired with a 2-to-1 drainage ditch and back slope requires a significant right-of-way acquisition and will have a disproportionate impact to our property.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Brett McKinnon
“it shows our property adjacent to Station 17 on the east side. It shows our property line, uh, the cut line and the right-of-way line, uh, that's already been alluded to by the commissioners previously, uh, and it cuts approximately 45 feet into our parcel.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Brett McKinnon
“one of the proposals that we would like to see in place is that the design does not necessarily get approved and move forward until we see that survey with the existing structures already plotted out to depict the right-of-way impacts, to those existing structures”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Edith McKee
“Commissioner McKee, could, could we propose to postpone approval until we can see an updated 65% design showing the modified typical section and reduced footprint. Is that something we could propose?”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
John Rodda
“Chugach Electric Association is requesting conditional use approval to upgrade the existing Campbell Lake substation at 1000 Southport Drive. In the R-1 zoning district. Um, Chugach is also requesting variances from landscaping and fence height requirements.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
John Rodda
“The— and approved a variance from landscaping requirements along Southport Drive to replace required buffer landscaping trees with more— substituting more shrubs.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Edith McKee
“I think that they've made a really concerted effort to work with the community and reduce the visual impacts to create a facility that blends with the community. I think the removal of the tower is a tremendous improvement over the original design that was proposed.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
James Michael
“The understanding that I and many members of the public have had based on public meetings with project staff and published documentation regarding the federal grant for this project was that it was intended for, quote, emergency access and egress. However, the project only appears to access a single neighborhood.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
James Michael
“I would strongly encourage this body to further push for clear answers regarding the ultimate goal of this project, for whom the road access is actually intended to benefit, and what the long-term impacts of the current alignment will be.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Connor Eshelman
“so right now we are, uh, coming to you with our 65% level design. We are looking to start our right-of-way process, uh, which will take approximately 2 years, putting us into construction, uh, in 2029 or 2030.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
James Michael
“No apparent meaningful work has been done to factor in a connection to Jamie Avenue and further into Bear Valley, and this seems to conflict with the purpose of a federal grant. As currently there is only one means of access to Bear Valley via Clark's Road, a connection to Jamie would open up a second route and could easily be the difference between life and death for residents in the valley in the event of a wildfire.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
John Rodda
“On appeal of the case, of the conditional use cases from the Southport Masters Association, the Municipal Board of Adjustment decided to remand both conditional use cases back to the Planning and Zoning Commission due to an insufficient community meeting early this year. Chugach started the project over from the beginning because of the remand and hired a different consultant to assist with a new public outreach process. Um, Chugach dropped from the project the conditional use request for the telecommunications tower, so there's no tower with this new application. Chugach replaced the 11.5-foot-tall block wall, with a 10.5-foot tall decorative fence with the blue band at the top.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Chelsea Bailey
“Uh, so because formal— informal discussions with the project team have failed to yield alternative designs and solutions, we're relying on the commission tonight to establish binding conditions that protect our property.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Connor Eshelman
“I want to thank, uh, the Baileys for being so thorough. We did meet with them and have every intention of re— uh, taking a closer look at sections, uh, near their area once we have updated survey information.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Taryn Olson-Yell
“When it was originally constructed in 1976, the facility served roughly 1,400 properties. Today it serves approximately 4,600 properties, which is over 3 times the customer base.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Janice Zilko
“Under this new site plan, two 15-foot-tall transformers would be located immediately adjacent to their property and less than 25 feet from their house. The transformers and razor wire would extend above the screening fence.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Edith McKee
“I intend to support the motion, um, because the, the conditions as presented in staff packet have been met. Additionally, I feel that the, the petitioner has made significant efforts with the community to reach a compromise and incorporate their design considerations.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Brett McKinnon
“we think it would be more cost efficient to the municipality as well, uh, for the right-of-way acquisition, for the cost to cure as well as the remainder damages during the right-of-way acquisition, because it would require relocation of our well and it would take away the only usable yard on our property.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Edith McKee
“this is the cut line that, that the residents have shared shows the cut line literally going right up to the front of their property. And the DOT process would typically require that you acquire a right-of-way that encompasses your total project footprint, so your cut and fill limits would have to be acquired.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - August 10, 2026 - 2026-08-10 18:30:00 · Aug 11, 2026
Jeff Raun
“this is a companion ordinance intended to incentivize, um, development in the B-3 district in a way that is more flexible to help achieve Anchorage's housing goals.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 13, 2026 - 2026-07-13 18:30:00 · Jul 14, 2026
Jeff Raun
“I acknowledge the intent of this as an improvement to hold space for housing in the B-3 district, noting that an overwhelming body of evidence has shown B-3 district as um, apparently ideal for residential development in our community. And the competing uses and potential for uses at play here, I think, are balanced by not disallowing something that has existed but changing the way in which it could be allowed in the future.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 13, 2026 - 2026-07-13 18:30:00 · Jul 14, 2026
Edith McKee
“if it were a conditional use permit, and let's say a developer had multiple parcels and they were building buildings, and one of their parcels they're using for parking, how much time would going through a conditional use permitting process add to them being able to develop multiple parcels?”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 13, 2026 - 2026-07-13 18:30:00 · Jul 14, 2026
Edith McKee
“I'm a little concerned that delaying somebody's development process by 6 months in Alaska, where we have limited construction season, could be a little bit inconvenient, but there is a path forward, so I do also intend to support the motion.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 13, 2026 - 2026-07-13 18:30:00 · Jul 14, 2026
Radhika Krishna
“This has been my biggest concern with this is just the scale of the uncertainty and that we might be— that this might result in for retail businesses who I think firmly fit in with the intent of B-3.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 13, 2026 - 2026-07-13 18:30:00 · Jul 14, 2026
Andres Spinelli
“I think they prevent development. They prevent people from purchasing the land to get to the point where they would apply for the conditional use. They stop projects in their tracks before they're started, even though there is a way forward. Often landowners don't want to wait 6 months while a proposed developer figures out if conditional use can be approved.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 13, 2026 - 2026-07-13 18:30:00 · Jul 14, 2026
Radhika Krishna
“I would like to go ahead and propose an amendment to omit the parking lot or structure conditional use requirement.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 13, 2026 - 2026-07-13 18:30:00 · Jul 14, 2026
Jeff Raun
“I go back to what problems the proposal is trying to solve. Clearly, the will of the Commission with respect to discouraging car-centered uses was already spoken to. This element of encouraging more housing and more flexibility, I stand firm on and believe that a conversion from permitted use to conditional use, again, does not take the use off the table. If the development makes sense, there's a pathway for it to move forward.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 13, 2026 - 2026-07-13 18:30:00 · Jul 14, 2026
Radhika Krishna
“maybe it's just been the self-storage facilities and storage yards I've encountered in Anchorage, but I don't see them as being primarily street frontage and, um, uses that are oriented towards the street and offer pedestrians direct access, or, um, I, I see them as being potentially more appropriate for more industrial types of land.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 13, 2026 - 2026-07-13 18:30:00 · Jul 14, 2026
Andres Spinelli
“I do not intend to support the motion as written. I'm happy with all the work in the purpose statement. I like it. I don't like conditional use situations.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 13, 2026 - 2026-07-13 18:30:00 · Jul 14, 2026
Scott Pulice
“I intend to support the motion. And as a finding of fact, you know, we heard no public opposition, and the replat will resolve DOT's comments on the rezone.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - July 6, 2026 - 2026-07-06 18:30:00 · Jul 6, 2026