Survey of about 1,400 respondents puts housing, economy and childcare atop Fairbanks priorities

Borough staff told the Fairbanks North Star Borough Planning Commission on May 13 that the Mayor’s Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee had reviewed survey results from roughly 1,400–1,500 respondents and begun prioritizing goals, with housing emerging as a top concern.

The results will shape the comprehensive plan update, a multi‑month process that borough officials said will be discussed in upcoming work sessions and subarea planning meetings.

"We had close to, I think it was between 1,400 and 1,500 people take that survey," the borough staff member said, noting that many respondents provided detailed written comments that required extensive analysis. "We heard pretty loud and clear from the survey results ... that housing is one of the biggest issues going on in the community right now."

Commissioner Fisher, speaking about the committee’s review, said the survey rated Fairbanks’ average quality of life at 6.8 out of 10 and identified top themes. "The first one was a healthy economy, and then tie for Fairbanks as an interior hub, affordable and quality housing and the college town feel," she said, adding that other priorities included access to nature, career opportunities, recreation and indigenous culture.

Staff said the advisory committee used dot‑voting exercises to refine priorities and will bring the results to the planning commission at a future work session. They emphasized that subareas (for example North Pole, Two Rivers or Goldstream) may prioritize different themes within the citywide values.

Officials said more work sessions will take place over the summer to translate survey results into subarea goals and implementation strategies; the commission will be invited to future sessions on detailed survey results and draft goals.