Fairbanks North Star Borough starts comprehensive plan update; survey open through Feb. 10

Kellen Spellman, staff with the Fairbanks North Star Borough Community Planning Department, briefed the assembly committee of the whole on Jan. 16 about the borough’s multi‑year comprehensive plan update, the public outreach schedule and the project’s legal importance for future land‑use decisions.

Spellman said the borough’s existing comprehensive plan dates to 2005 and that state statute requires first‑ and second‑class boroughs to have a comprehensive plan. He described current outreach — a digital survey open through Feb. 10, several planned open houses and distribution of hard copies to locations such as the Salcha Senior Center — and said the administration anticipates returning a draft for adoption in early spring 2027.

“We're kind of starting from scratch,” Spellman said of the update, noting the community today differs from 2005. The department reported roughly 650 survey responses so far and said staff would like to see about 2,000 responses. The presentation identified housing and childcare as the two lowest‑scoring topic areas in early survey returns.

Spellman described the update process as a roughly 2½‑year effort that will include an existing‑conditions report, a public visioning and goals phase, and later drafting of implementation strategies. He said the borough awarded the project to R&M Consultants with subconsultants Michael Baker International (transportation) and McKinley Research Group (economic and demographic profiling). “We have a really skilled firm helping us with this plan,” Spellman said.

Assemblymembers asked how the comprehensive plan relates to other adopted area plans and legal decisions. Assemblymember Wilson asked how citizens should prioritize review of the 34‑page draft; Spellman said the comprehensive plan is the highest‑level, policy‑based document and that more specific area plans (for example the Salcha/Badger plan) feed off the comprehensive plan and are used for local decisions such as rezonings. Assemblymember Haney emphasized the plan’s legal role, saying courts and planning commissions often evaluate consistency with the comprehensive plan during appeals and permit reviews.

Staff laid out outreach steps: a digital survey, multiple open houses (locations and times on the borough webpage), targeted distribution of mailed hard copies to areas with limited internet access, and coordinated events such as a borough presence at the home‑builder show to reach residents already attending community events. Spellman asked the assembly how it wanted to be engaged during the process and said staff are prepared to provide quarterly updates and additional work sessions as requested.

Key dates and figures reported by staff: the survey deadline is Feb. 10 (staff said that date is flexible depending on response rates), about 650 responses had been received as of the briefing, staff hopes for roughly 2,000 responses, and the staff target for plan adoption is early spring 2027. The borough did not take formal action on the presentation; staff requested the assembly’s feedback on outreach preferences.