Matanuska-Susitna Borough planning staff on Tuesday presented the Community Growth Solutions Study, a 400-page assessment of transportation and land-use challenges across three subareas of the borough and a separate Bogard corridor study, and asked the assembly to identify priorities for follow-up.

The study, prepared by HDR and funded by a federal earmark routed through the State of Alaska, recommends restoring regular traffic-demand modeling, prioritizing Official Streets and Highways Plan (OSHIP) corridors, undertaking reconnaissance studies for project cost estimates, considering limited borough road powers for right-of-way acquisition, and updating Title 43 and the subdivision construction manual.

Alex Strachan, the borough’s planning director, said the document is intended as a menu of solutions rather than a proposal to adopt the study into the comprehensive plan. "This is a study — I'm not proposing that this be adopted as part of the comprehensive plan," Strachan said, describing the package as an inventory of possible strategies for assembly members and future planning staff to choose from.

The study groups recommendations by subarea — Fish Hook Triangle, the UMed district and the Big Lake/Knox Goose Bay area — and includes technical analyses projecting level-of-service to 2045 and a prioritized list of future road corridors. Strachan said the corridor access management plan the borough recently completed cost about $500,000 and that similar efforts in other corridors would be prioritized in the study. He also said the borough has lacked a formal traffic-demand model for about 15 years and recommended updating modeling every five years.

Rod Hansen, president of the North Lakes Community Council, urged continued public engagement and said the council’s roughly 10,000 area residents view inadequate transportation infrastructure as one of their highest priorities. "One of the highest priorities of our 60-plus council members and roughly 10,000 area residents is this inadequate transportation infrastructure to support current and forecasted level of development within our boundaries," Hansen said during the public comment period.

Staff and commissioners discussed a mix of noninfrastructure and engineering recommendations. Noninfrastructure ideas include reinstating a mandatory land-use permit, strengthening subdivision connectivity requirements and considering impact or traffic‑impact fees. Engineering recommendations include recon studies to produce planning-level cost estimates, earlier right-of-way identification and adoption of a complete-streets policy. The study also advocates corridor access management plans for roadways classified at or above a major collector.

Assembly members asked about several perceived gaps in the study. One question raised whether serious-injury and fatal-crash data were unavailable; Strachan said the borough can obtain crash information from troopers and emergency services and that he would follow up. Another assembly member asked about water-supply impacts of new subdivisions; Fred Wagner, planning officer for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, said, "Title 43 is silent on the availability of water. We don't have anything in our code," noting the code currently focuses on septic-affluent controls rather than supply analysis for private wells.

Commissioners also noted the study gives limited attention to off-road recreational vehicles and ATVs, which some residents consider an important local transportation and recreation issue. Strachan acknowledged that the plan underrepresents that topic and said it could be addressed separately.

No ordinances or motions were voted on during the discussion. Borough manager and other staff said the next step will be for planning staff to bring the study forward as an informational memorandum for the assembly record and for the assembly to identify specific initiatives or ordinances it wants staff to pursue — for example, targeted Title 43 changes, updates to the subdivision construction manual, or a ballot initiative to grant limited road powers for right-of-way acquisition.

The presentation and discussion emphasized several procedural steps the staff recommends before seeking voter approval for large projects: adopt or update a traffic-demand model; prioritize corridors in OSHIP; do recon studies to produce realistic cost estimates for the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP); and identify right-of-way early, possibly supported by an annual acquisition budget or a ballot measure to permit limited acquisitions outside voter-approved projects.

Meeting participants named several nodes and corridors the report highlights for economic development or special attention, including Hatcher Pass gateway, the Palmer fish hook (Fish Hook Triangle), Big Lake, Settlers Bay, and the Selden/Church node near properties owned in part by the Alaska Mental Health Trust. In the UMed district the study flagged hospital-access redundancy as a priority and recommended alternatives to improve ambulance access in case the roundabout fails.

The assembly did not adopt or direct immediate rule changes. Staff will return with the study on the record and await clearer direction from the assembly on which elements to convert into ordinances, code updates or design studies.

Ending: Strachan said he would bring the document back to the assembly as an informational item so members can select priorities for staff work. The manager and commissioners urged the public and assembly members to identify which recommendations they want staff to develop further.