Wasilla planning commission unanimously recommends repeal of Downtown Overlay District

On Sept. 9, 2025, the Wasilla Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve Resolution Serial 25‑10, which proposes and recommends that the Wasilla City Council adopt an ordinance repealing the city’s Downtown Overlay District. The commission’s vote was 4‑0; Commissioner Seals was absent and excused.

The commission approved the resolution after City legal staff and the acting city planner told members the new resolution corrects errors in an earlier attachment and aligns the proposed language with the city’s updated zoning code, Title 16. The city attorney told the commission the replacement resolution is needed so the council will have a corrected proposed ordinance to consider. "We're really just redoing something based on my error, and I am sorry for that," the city attorney said.

The motion to approve Resolution Serial 25‑10 was made by Commissioner Brown and seconded by Commissioner DeYoung. After brief discussion — including a statement that one commissioner remained "rather uncomfortable" but would support the measure following the attorney's explanation — the planning clerk called a roll: Brown, Langille, DeYoung and Stafford all voted yes. The clerk announced, "By a unanimous vote, the resolution serial number 25‑10 proposing and recommending an ordinance repealing the Downtown Overlay District to Wasilla City Council is approved."

A member of the public, Stu Graham, identified himself as a resident of Wasilla and a Wasilla City Council member speaking in a personal capacity. Graham urged commissioners to support repeal, arguing the overlay had not achieved intended goals and instead had limited market-driven reuse of downtown property: "The Downtown Overlay District ... has failed to do that. As a matter of fact, it's actually had kind of a negative impact on the downtown area we have here in Wasilla," Graham said.

The planning commission’s approval is a recommendation; the ordinance must still be introduced and acted on by the Wasilla City Council. The commission and legal staff repeatedly described this action as a corrective step to ensure the proposed ordinance submitted to council reflects the updated code provisions in Title 16. The city attorney explained that a later resolution can supersede an earlier non‑code resolution to the extent the newer resolution conflicts with the older one.

What happens next: the approved resolution will be forwarded to the Wasilla City Council for its consideration. The commission did not adopt an ordinance itself; it recommended that council consider repealing the Downtown Overlay District by ordinance.