Fairbanks planning staff say 1,518 responded to comprehensive-plan survey; housing, childcare scored lowest

Kelton Spillman, the borough’s community planning director, told the Fairbanks North Star Borough Planning Commission on May 27 that 1,518 people completed the regional comprehensive-plan survey, which staff and the advisory committee are using to shape vision, goals and high-level objectives for the plan.

The survey and related outreach matter because the comprehensive plan steers long-range land use, transportation and community investments across the borough, Spillman said.

“We had 1,518 people take the survey,” Spillman said. He told commissioners the average reported quality of life score was about 7 out of 10, and respondents gave a 6.14 out of 10 score for how likely they would be to recommend the Fairbanks area to someone considering moving there. About three-quarters of respondents said they’re likely to remain in Fairbanks for the next five years, Spillman said.

Spillman and staff presented a breakdown by topic and age group. Natural environment and parks and recreation rated highly across respondents both for perceived performance and importance. Education ranked as the most important item overall. By contrast, housing and childcare were the lowest-scoring items on how the borough is doing.

Staff emphasized age-related differences in priorities. Younger respondents (ages roughly 16–35) placed much higher importance on housing options, while respondents ages 26–45 ranked childcare as an important concern. The largest participating demographic was residents age 65 and older, who generally rated housing and childcare as lower priorities, Spillman said.

Spillman said staff conducted in-person outreach as well: seven events across five communities produced about 108 attendees and additional written comments. He also said the advisory committee reviewed open-ended survey responses and used a dot-vote exercise to surface themes. The advisory committee’s early priorities included a healthy economy, an interior hub/college-town character and affordability and quality housing; access to nature and indigenous culture also ranked among top themes.

Commissioners pressed staff about reach. Commissioner Greg asked whether staff planned additional outreach given the borough population of about 95,000; Spillman said staff and the consultant considered 1,518 a strong response but acknowledged underrepresented groups — especially the 16–demographic and military communities. He said staff will pursue school-based outreach and continue work with the mayor’s public information officer, Caitlin Wilson, to reach Fort Wainwright and Eielson families after social-media pauses limited earlier outreach.

Spillman said staff will distribute full survey results to commissioners by email and intends to bring more detailed, section-specific materials back to the commission for input as the plan moves from vision and goals into strategies and actions.

The presentation was informational; commissioners took no formal action at the May 27 meeting and staff said the advisory committee will continue meeting as the plan advances.