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Planning Staff Reports New FEMA Flood Maps, Short‑term‑rental Tracking Plan and Downtown Initiatives
Summary
Community Planning Director Kellen Spillman told the Planning Commission on June 10 that draft FEMA flood maps will remove about 2,600 structures from mapped flood zones and add about 500, a net of roughly 2,100 structures coming out, and that staff will seek assembly approval to buy software to track short‑term rentals.
Community Planning Director Kellen Spillman briefed the Planning Commission on flood‑map outreach, short‑term‑rental tracking, and downtown initiatives on June 10.
Spillman said the borough sent about 8,000 postcards and hosted three FEMA‑staffed open houses (North Pole Library, Salcha Senior Center, and Noel Wien Library) with roughly 150 total attendees to present draft flood insurance rate maps. "We sent out about 8,000 of these postcards," Spillman told commissioners, and he summarized the draft map impacts: "we have about 2,600 structures, mostly houses coming out of the flood zone... and we we have about 500 coming in, so it's a net gain of about 2,100 structures coming out." He said the change could reduce flood‑insurance burdens for property owners and estimated a conservative savings of "over $15,000,000." Spillman said the maps still need adoption and the borough expects formal action in roughly a year.
Short‑term rentals and staffing: Spillman said the Department of Community Planning will ask the assembly on June 26 to roll year‑end funds into a single line item to buy software to track short‑term rentals, administer bed tax collections and check zoning compliance. If zoning changes are required, they would return to the commission for review.
Downtown and other programs: Spillman noted FAST Planning’s "friendly parking" program installing signs in private lots that allow public parking during specified hours and described a City of Fairbanks storefront improvement grant offering up to $50,000 for façade work; borough planning staff will assist with scoring under the downtown plan.
Schedule items: Spillman told commissioners that Pleasant Places rezone will go to the July assembly schedule and that the commission’s July 8 meeting will include two rezones (Hamilton Acres and Esther neighborhoods) and the August 12 meeting will include two conditional‑use applications (a zoo and a major communications tower). He also said the borough tentatively calendared a July 29 comprehensive plan advisory committee meeting to consider area planning goals and strategies.
Ending: Spillman asked commissioners to contact staff with questions and said staff will return to the commission with the flood maps for formal action when the adoption timeline advances.
