Mat-Su Borough: Platting Board Meeting - October 1st, 2026 - 1pm

Great. Um, good afternoon everyone.

I'm opening this meeting of the PLATTI Board at 1:01 PM. Mr. Secretary, the roll call please.

Planning Member Leibing. Present. Planning Member Gilson. Present. Planning Member Carney.

Present. Planning Member Traxler. Present. Planning Member McBride. Present.

Planning members absent are Planning Member Shavetta and Planning Member Von Hoff. We have a quorum. Thank you very much. Can we stand for the pledge?

All righty, can I get a motion to approve today's agenda?

Madam Chair, I move to approve today's agenda. Thank you very much. Can I get a second? Second. Are there any objections or changes to today's agenda?

Seeing none, the agenda has been approved. Can I get a motion to approve, um, September— was it 17th meeting's minutes? Madam Chair, I move the approval of the minutes for the September 17th meeting. Can I get a second? Second.

Any changes or objections? Seeing none, the minutes have been approved. Okay, I'm going to open public testimony for persons to be heard present or online for items not scheduled for public hearing. Is there anybody present that would like to speak to something that's not on the agenda?

Anybody online?

Okay, I am closing public testimony. Okay, today we have Koppenberg Estates Phase 2. The request is to create 5 lots from Lots 1 and 2, Koppenberg Estates, to be known as Koppenberg Estates Phase 2, containing 72.32 acres plus or minus. The property is located directly north of South Foxworth North Drive and directly west of South Alex Drive, within the Southeast Quarter Section 7, Township 16 North, Range 02 West, Seward Meridian, Alaska, in the K'nik Fairview Community Council and in Assembly District Number 5. To the board, do you or any member of your immediate family have a substantial financial interest in any property affected by this decision, or will you recognize a foreseeable profit as a result of this decision?

Seeing none. Have you received or otherwise engaged in an ex parte contact with the applicant, other parties interested in the application, or members of the public concerning the application or issues presented in this application, either before the application or during any period of time the matter is submitted for decision outside of the public process provided by the Bureau?

Seeing none. Are you able to be impartial in this decision?

Seeing an affirmative. Mr. Secretary, the mailing report, please.

114 Public notices were mailed September 8th, 2026. Thank you very much. Staff report. Thank you, Madam Chair. Matthew Goddard, Planning Technician, presenting in place of Chris Kerlin as he is unable to be here today.

The proposed Koppenberg Estates Phase 2 would create 5 tracts ranging in size between 6.76 acres up to 36.45 acres. Access to Tract A is from South Foxworth Drive. Tracks B, C, and D are from the proposed cul-de-sac at the end of South A Street. Tract E has frontage on South Alix Drive and the proposed internal cul-de-sac at the end of South A Street. All 3 of these roads are borough maintained.

A geotechnical report was submitted pursuant to code. Charles Lee, professional engineer, notes that proposed Lot 1, as shown on the agenda plat, is Track A will have at least 10,000 square feet of contiguous usable building area and at least 10,000 square feet of contiguous usable septic area as required by borough code 432281 area. A topographic narrative was submitted in lieu of a soils report for tracks B, C, D, and E, as they are greater than 400,000 square feet. The borough's Department of Public Works Pre-Design and Engineering Division notes that the proposed cul-de-sac extension of A Street shall be constructed to a minimum of residential standards in accordance with the 2022 Subdivision Construction Manual. Removal of the existing cul-de-sac at the end of South— or end of A Street shall be coordinated with DPW to occur at the end of the warranty period of the road improvement.

At the time the staff report was written, there was 1 comment from the public in response to the notice of public hearing with the following concerns. Impacts on the wetlands, potential impacts on surrounding property due to development, impacts on local native wildlife. After the staff report was written, there were 4 comments received from the public with concerns and objections. The concerns and objections were regarding public safety, increased traffic, impact on A Street and Foxworth Street, emergency services access, impacts on utilities, environmental impacts to include development in the wetlands, impacts to drainage, impacts on local wildlife, flooding and impacts on the pond on the property. These comments are in your handout packet.

Staff notes that the recommended conditions of approval do have a formatting error. Recommendations 4G, 4H, and 4I should be shown as recommendations 5, 6, and 7, respectively. In conclusion, the proposed Koppenberg Estates Phase 2 is consistent with state statutes and borough code. The soils report was submitted pursuant to code. A topographic narrative was submitted pursuant to code.

No objections were received from any federal or state agencies, borough departments, or utilities. At the time the staff report was written, there was 1 comment received from the public with concerns. After the report was written, there were 4 comments received with objections and concerns, as seen in your handout packet. Staff recommends approval with 6 findings of fact and 7 recommendations of conditions of approval. Thank you, Matthew.

Any questions? Mr. Levine. Yeah, a question for staff, and this is, I think, mostly for the benefit of audience members who may be here or on the phone, and that is, um, the, the packet noted that the Corps of Engineers did not return a comment, but that in no way would eliminate or lessen the burden of the owner to obtain Um, the proper permits should they be deemed necessary. Is that correct? That is correct.

Permitting would still need to be acquired.

I have a question about the cul-de-sac. So there was one— there's one presently there that needs to be removed, and they're going to put in another one. Can you clarify what's going on with the cul-de-sac? Um, per DPW's comments, there's currently an existing cul-de-sac at the end of A Street that once they extend A Street and the warranty period has ended, they'll have to remove as it will be replaced by the new one on their property in this proposal. So it's just the current turnaround would no longer be needed as that road extends past it after this is approved, if it is.

Okay, thank you, Matthew. Any other questions?

Okay, so I'm going to open up the period for the petitioner and the petitioner's representative to speak.

Petitioner, petitioner's representative present. Okay.

Yes, sir, if you could turn your mic on and state and spell your last name for the record. We're getting a lot of feedback.

Yeah, apologize for the feedback. Oh, it's all right. Yeah, Aaron Koppenberg, K-O-P-P-E-N-B-E-R-D. Yeah, I'm the owner. I'm just splitting the land up so I can do something with it in the future. And I'm well aware of how the Army Corps of Engineers permitting process works and all of that.

So not planning on filling the pond in or doing anything crazy like everybody keeps saying. So it's, you know, in fact, the pond is actually a big plus on the property.

So, I guess that's about it. Just one quick question. So is there indeed a road, a trail, or whatever that goes from Tract A all the way to Tract B? Yeah, there was an existing roadway there that used to actually be a farm, both the 150 acres beside it and this parcel also. So, okay, just curious.

There are a whole bunch of little roads in there. Okay, any questions?

Thank you, sir. Thank you. Yeah, I'm closing the period for the petitioner to speak.

I'm going to open up public hearing. Is there anybody present that would like to speak on this case?

Thank you, sir. Can you turn off your mic just for a second? Thank you, sir. If you can state and spell your last name and, uh, sign into the book there, and your 3-minute timer will start as soon as you finish spelling your last name.

Um, my name is Nathan Shanigan, uh, S-H-A-N-I-G-A-N. Um, I live directly behind the pond, uh, and I feel like it'd be a— just now hearing that we're not filling it in, uh, I still think there is concern of development in that area. There is sandhill cranes. Sorry, I've never done this before. Sandhill cranes that live there and come nesting every year. I've seen them dance at each other, and there's moose that come through there.

There's a bunch of wildlife that I enjoy seeing.

I feel like that would ruin it with development. I feel like with the— did you say 10,000 square feet of sewage? Uh, minimum. Okay, thank you. Um, I feel like if anything were to happen with that, it is swampland.

Um, since living there— I've lived there for 13+ years— the pond itself has grown 3 times in size. Kind of crazy. I feel like it's going to get bigger with how much water and snow we get every year. Uh, I, I've seen it personally, and I've been on the pond, and it is super deep. I have a feeling that it's not just a surface deal.

There's a lot probably going on under that, under that, uh, and if you were to do any development, I just think that over time it could lead to erosion of sewage or something like that, then you have a big old issue with safety. And just, I don't know, I don't think it's a good idea personally, just probably because I live there, but I think it would just ruin the wildlife and everything that goes on there, and that is very important in our life. So thank you for hearing me out. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Is there anybody else that would like to testify?

Okay, is there anybody online? Okay, seeing no one online, I am closing public testimony.

You don't have to. I'm opening up the period for the petitioners to speak again if you would like. You don't have to.

If you don't mind speaking up here.

Uh, say the only comment I have is on the pond, and, uh, you can go on the Matsue, uh, Borough website and look up the previous pictures from the last 14 years, and you can also go on the state website and look at previous pictures all the way back to 1949, and the pond has remained exactly the same size it is So, okay, is there any questions from the board?

Okay, thank you, sir.

Okay, I'm closing the period of time for the petitioner to speak. Uh, can I get a motion from the board? Madam Chair, I move to approve the preliminary plat, Koppenberg Estates Phase 2 Section 7, Township 16 North, Range 02 West, Seward Meridian, Alaska, contingent upon staff recommendations 1 through 4 as shown here. We'll amend that shortly. Thank you, Mr. Leaming.

Can I get a second?

I second. Thank you very much. Discussion from the board? Madam Chair, I move to amend the, the motion such that the conditions of approval for G, H, and I be changed to 5, 6, and 7 in that order. Okay, can I get a second?

I second. Any objection? Okay, that motion passes. I'm going back to the main motion. Are there— is there any further discussion?

Any objection?

Being no objection, the motion passes.

Hey, now we are on Prosperity Estates. The request is to create 8 lots from partial 17N02E25D005 to be known as Prosperity Estates, containing 10.01 acres plus or minus. The property is located directly north and east Sullivan Avenue. Directly west of South Caudill Road and east of South Old Glen Highway, within the southeast quarter section 25, Township 17 North, Range 02 East, Seward, Meridian, Alaska, in the Butte Community Council and in Assembly District Number 1. To the board, do you or any member of your immediate family have a substantial financial interest in any property affected by this decision, or will you recognize a foreseeable profit as a result of this decision?

Have you received or otherwise engaged in ex parte contact with the applicant, other parties interested in the application, or members of the public concerning the application or issues presented in this application, either before the application or during any period of time the matter is submitted for decision? Outside of the public process provided by the borough?

Are you able to be impartial in this decision, Mr. Clerk? Mr. Secretary. Mr. Secretary, I had to think about that. I'm so sorry.

Mailing report, please. There were 37 public notices mailed September 8th, 2026. Staff report.

Thank you, Chair. Came in Reynolds, planning staff. Geotechnical report was submitted, Exhibit B, in the staff report.

Oh, sorry, Exhibit D, apparently, uh, pursuant to MSB 4320.281A. Eli Ward, PE, notes that 8 test holes were dug to a depth of at least 12 feet. No water was encountered in any of the test holes based on the existing topography and the fact that there are no bodies of standing water within 100 feet of the proposed development. Uh, each lot shall have at least 10,000 square feet of usable building area and septic area. There are no objections or concerns received from borough departments or outside agencies at the time of the staff report.

4 Public comments were received after the staff report was written. The site concerns about noise, light, the nearby asphalt plant, increased traffic, and the proposed easements. The easements, uh, requested would be along the proposed Prosperous Way. Please see the handouts. At the time of the staff report write-up, there are no responses to the request for comments from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Community Council, Butte, the fire service area of Butte.

Road area, road service area number 26, Greater Butte. MSB emergency services, community development assessments, planning or development services.

Staff recommends approval of Prosperity Estates with these 6 findings of fact and 9 conditions of approval.

Thank you, Cayman. Any questions for staff?

All righty, I'm going to open up the period of time for the petitioner and petitioner's representative to speak. They do not want to speak right now, closing that time. So I'm going to open up for a public hearing.

Anybody present that would like to speak? I don't see anybody. Anybody online?

I am closing public hearing.

I'm going to open the time for the petitioner's representative to speak.

Dana Rumfelt, R-U-M-F-E-L-T, with Lavender Survey and Mapping. I—. Hi, how's it going, guys? Um, I appreciate your time, and we accept the conditions of approval, including granting the requested easement Um, that's all I have to say. Do you have any questions for me?

No questions. Thank you, Dana. Okay, I'm closing the time for the petitioner's representative to speak.

I need a motion from the board. Madam Chair, I move to approve the preliminary plat of Prosperity Estates, Section 25. Township 17 North, Range 02 East, Seward, Meridian, Alaska, contingent upon staff recommendations 1 through 9. Thank you, Mr. Leibing. Can I get a second?

I second. Thank you, Regis. Discussion from the board?

Any objection?

Motion passes.

Okay, staff comments.

We have one case for the next planning board meeting on October 15th. Okay, any other staff comments? Okay, board comments.

Nobody's got anything to say. All righty, so this meeting is adjourned at 1:22 PM.

The other one was 1:13.