Assembly reviews two remaining amendments to Girdwood comprehensive plan focusing on 'Mitten' and Virgin Creek strip

The Anchorage Assembly held a work session Thursday, March 6, to review two outstanding amendments to ordinance AO 2024-114S, the Girdwood comprehensive plan update. Presenters from the planning department, Heritage Land Bank (HLB) staff, Imagine Girdwood and the mayor’s office discussed whether to change land-use designations for a 500-foot strip near Virgin Creek west of Timberline Drive and a larger area known locally as the “Mitten.”

The amendments matter because they would change future land-use guidance for areas near existing water and wastewater services and could affect where housing and trails are developed in Girdwood. Assembly sponsor Zach Johnson framed the session as an opportunity to resolve remaining questions ahead of the ordinance’s next Assembly appearance on March 18.

Elizabeth Appleby, current planning division manager, told the Assembly the planning department’s recommendation came from a suitability analysis in the draft plan and from proximity to utility service: "We wanted to encourage development where there's already these services available." Appleby said the department had adjusted an earlier recommendation for the Virgin Creek area to a 500-foot-wide strip — a width chosen, she said, because it is roughly the length of nearby cul-de-sacs.

Imagine Girdwood, the nonprofit that led the plan process, opposed both amendments in their current form. Mike Edgington, chair of Imagine Girdwood and co-chair of the Girdwood Board of Supervisors, said the group’s position is "not to support either of the amendments which are in front of you," adding that the Virgin Creek strip was introduced late in the community process and would benefit from a more robust local discussion.

Speakers described distinct local concerns for each area. On the Mitten parcel, planning staff noted existing zoning and a prior approved area master plan and told the Assembly HLB has listed the Mitten for potential disposal in its work plan; HLB plans to submit that work plan to the Assembly in April 2025. Graham Downey, special assistant to the mayor, stressed that HLB disposal procedures are still required: "the HLB disposal is not complete, and so there will be additional assembly approval and public process before the Mitten parcel is developed."

Imagine Girdwood and other community representatives said neighborhood character, drainage and trail preservation were central concerns for the Virgin Creek and Mitten discussions. Holly (surname given in the record as Spoth Torres), listed on the record as a consultant, described low‑intensity land‑use language as intended to limit site impacts — for example, controlling impervious coverage and protecting existing surface drainage — while still allowing forms such as duplexes or triplexes: "low intensity doesn't mean limiting to single family homes... it can be a variety of homes. What impact means in this case is what's the impact of the immediate environment."

Assembly members and staff outlined the next procedural steps if the Assembly adopts the amendments. Tiffany Briggs, real estate director, described the post‑plan process for any Mitten disposal: "Any disposal would still need to go to HLBAC with a work session, so there's public comment there. And then we would be bringing that potential disposal to the Assembly, again, with a public hearing and time for comments." Appleby added that if an applicant seeks zoning or subdivision approvals later, planners would evaluate consistency with the adopted comprehensive plan; if the plan showed open space where development is proposed, an amendment would likely be required.

Participants also discussed timelines and expectations for plan updates. Imagine Girdwood said the community expects periodic checks and that larger revisions could follow on a multi‑year timeline; speakers noted the Girdwood plan had not been updated since 1995 and that the current update process has taken several years.

No formal motions or votes occurred during the work session. Assembly members indicated the ordinance (AO 2024-114S) will return to the Assembly agenda March 18 for deliberation; the public hearing for that item has been closed and the body will move into deliberations on that date.

For now, the record shows continued disagreement about the two amendments: the planning department and mayor’s office supporting changes based on infrastructure and suitability analyses, and Imagine Girdwood and others urging more local process and protections for trails and neighborhood character. The Assembly deferred final action to the formal meeting schedule and to subsequent HLB and disposal processes that would include additional public hearings and opportunities to attach development conditions.