Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Flood Remapping Dot Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning staff previews Tanana River flood remapping, DOT project work sessions
Summary
Staff told the commission the borough’s Tanana River flood remapping is entering public review this summer and previewed three Alaska Department of Transportation projects to be presented as early work sessions to commissioners.
Fairbanks North Star Borough community-planning staff told the Planning Commission on March 11 that a multi-year flood study and remapping of the Tanana River and 12 tributaries is nearing completion and will enter public involvement this summer, and that the department will hold early work sessions with the commission on three Department of Transportation projects.
A department representative reported that the borough’s flood-mapping update — intended to correct inaccuracies from the 2014 flood-zones — has been under development for about a decade, involved multiple consultants and is now accepted by FEMA for draft analysis. Staff said the draft would go out for public review and involvement, with community open houses tentatively scheduled for May. The department estimates a couple thousand properties will be removed from the flood zone, with some properties added; staff said the net effect is expected to be positive and could reduce flood-insurance premiums for homeowners if new maps are adopted.
Staff also outlined scheduling changes to the commission’s calendar and described three early, informational work sessions planned to give commissioners early design input on Alaska Department of Transportation projects: (1) Holmes Road reconstruction; (2) a Chena Lakes Recreation bicycle and pedestrian access project offering a secondary entrance off Old Murphy Dome/Plaque Road; and (3) a borough-nominated new boat launch and parking at Pioneer Park on the Chena River. Staff said these sessions are not requests for local planning authority but are intended to give commissioners a chance to affect design early in project development.
Staff said the department’s FY26 budget had been submitted to the mayor and that a fuller update will follow when the mayor’s budget is released. Staff also said that because of item volume and scheduling, the commission’s March 25 meeting would likely be canceled and the commission would instead host the DOT work sessions during the April 8 meeting.
The commission did not take formal action on the flood study or the DOT project previews during the March 11 meeting; staff said they will return for further briefing and public events as the FEMA review and project design processes proceed.
