Heritage Land Bank staff presented the Anchorage Assembly a summary of AR 2025-103, the HLB 2025 annual work program and five-year management plan, at a May 9 work session and described completed 2024 transfers, priority 2025 projects and next steps ahead of a May 20 public hearing.

The Heritage Land Bank(HLB) is "100% self supporting non tax funded agency," said Ryan Yell, Land Management Officer. Tiffany Briggs, Real Estate Director, opened the briefing saying, "we are here just today to talk about AR 20 25 1 0 3, which is the 2025 work plan." Emma Lisonbee, Land Management Officer, said staff began drafting the plan in October and that the HLB Advisory Commission unanimously recommended approval in February after reviewing public comments.

Why it matters: the HLB manages more than 12,000 acres of municipal land and holds parcels that affect public access, parks, airport bluff stability and potential community services. The work plan lists anticipated disposals, leases, acquisitions, trail and wildfire mitigation priorities that could affect neighborhoods in Girdwood, the Anchorage Hillside, South Anchorage, Eagle River and coastal areas near Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

Most important items

HLB staff described recent and completed actions that are already shaping public lands use. The assembly previously authorized the disposal of Holton Hills Tracts 1 and 2 in January 2024; HLB said those tracts have been transferred to a development partner and on-site infrastructure work is expected this summer. HLB also reported completion of a multi-part project that created Potter Marsh Watershed Park: 100 acres of HLB land were used as an in-kind match alongside about 200 acres of private land; all 300 acres are now managed by Parks and Recreation with a conservation easement held by Great Land Trust. HLB noted the sale of parcels at Lake Otis and Tudor (the former Chevron/contaminated gas station site) and said a private entity plans redevelopment of that corner.

Planned 2025 projects and discussions

• Gerbrand Industrial Park (Girdwood): HLB described a planned tracked subdivision intended to provide equipment and training space for the Girdwood Valley Service Area and Girdwood Fire Department, and to create leasable industrial parcels.

• Natural burial cemetery (Anchorage Hillside): staff described a selected nonprofit applicant for development of a natural burial cemetery on an HLB parcel. HLB said it cannot use a lease in this case and is proposing a less-than-fair-market-value transfer with conditions such as a reverter clause and recreational-compatibility provisions to coordinate with Parks and Recreation because the Mullen Trail crosses the parcel. HLB staff noted community need for burial capacity and that the cemetery bond previously failed; no final transfer has been executed.

• Trails and access (Girdwood and Chugach State Park): staff said they plan to dedicate trail easements identified in the Girdwood Trails Plan to support future trail development. HLB also identified parcels that could create additional access points to Chugach State Park and said coordination with Parks and Recreation and the relevant service area will be needed; no disposals or construction were approved at the work session.

• Wildland fire mitigation: HLB highlighted planned fuel-reduction and shaded-fuel-break work, including a Campbell Airstrip Road shaded fuel break scheduled this summer that will cross several HLB parcels. HLB staff and Lance Wilbur, Director of Planning, Development & Public Works, said funding for large-scale mitigation will likely require grants, interdepartmental coordination with the Anchorage Fire Department and possible direct appropriations; HLBfunds are limited and HLB does not receive property-tax support.

• Former Clithero/Cluthrow Center (West Anchorage near the airport): staff said the building is vacant and showing age; preliminary estimates for required health-and-safety and accessibility work are incomplete and HLB estimated 4to 6 months to develop more concrete rehabilitation cost estimates and a potential timeline for occupancy. HLB said it seeks a tenant that would deliver community-benefit uses.

• Former Alaska Native Hospital (Third & Ingra): HLB said the Anchorage Community Development Authority (ACDA) submitted a noncompetitive 20-year ground-lease application; HLB would lease to ACDA and ACDA would run an RFP for development, with a condition to include components from the 2019 master plan for the site (memorial elements, trail connections, possible plant-propagation greenhouses). The HLB Advisory Commission will hold a public hearing on that lease application this month.

Data, process and next steps

HLB said it received 11 submissions and 80 individual comments on the draft work plan during a 45-day public review and responded to each comment; a table of comments and responses is in the work plan appendices. HLB staff reported they are expanding a parcel-level spatial analysis of developability (begun for Girdwood in 2023) to all HLB parcels and expect initial quality control to be completed in the coming weeks with more refined results in a few months. The assembly was reminded the work plan is amendable and any amendments could require fiscal analyses.

Questions and outstanding issues

Assembly members pressed HLB on funding sources and timelines: whether HLB would fund wildfire mitigation (HLB said it would pursue grants and coordination and that the Anchorage Fire Department is the coordinating entity for prioritization), how long rehabilitation of the former Clithero/Cluthrow Center might take (HLB estimated 4 to 6 months to reach firmer cost estimates), and whether shoreline erosion near Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is captured in the plan (staff said erosion near certain HLB parcels is an issue and suggested adding a plan note and pursuing federal engagement and funding conversations).

Formal status and schedule

HLB staff said the HLB Advisory Commission unanimously passed a resolution recommending approval at its February public hearing. AR 2025-103 was introduced to the assembly on April 8 and the assembly staff noted a public hearing on the resolution is scheduled for May 20.

Ending

HLB staff invited assembly members to contact them with parcel-specific questions and said they will continue coordination with Parks and Recreation, the Anchorage Fire Department and service-area entities. The assembly will consider AR 2025-103 at the May 20 public hearing.