Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rezoning Chena River topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Assembly approves rezoning near Chena River after contested public hearing; proposed river setback rejected
Summary
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly voted 9-0 on Jan. 9 to rezone about 17 acres near Dale Road from light industrial to light commercial, approving the applicant's request while declining to add a 25-foot waterway setback recommended by the Planning and Chena Riverfront commissions.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly voted 9-0 on Jan. 9 to rezone about 17 acres near Dale Road and the Chena River from light industrial to light commercial, approving the original ordinance requested by property owners and rejecting a substitute ordinance that would have added a 25-foot waterway setback.
The Planning Department and the Planning Commission recommended approval with an environmental buffer. Kellen Spielman, a borough planner, told the Assembly the request would allow residential development that is not permitted under the current light industrial zoning and noted the area sits partially in the borough'designated airport noise sensitive overlay and in a federal special flood hazard area.
The Planning Commission chair, Corinne Fisher, described the commission's unanimous vote for approval with the waterway setback and said the commission's discussion had centered on protecting the riverbank, particularly at a bend where some speakers wanted a larger buffer.
But the applicant and several property owners pressed the Assembly to adopt the original rezone. Applicant Paul Quirion said the parcel group was expanded to avoid a legal spot-zone issue and that adding the 25-foot setback now would jeopardize the application. "If that setback is on there, I'd like to have be retracted from the entire rezone," said property owner Henry Dale, who described living on the homestead parcel and said much of his current and historic use is set back from the river.
Wade Binkley of Riverboat Discovery, which had signed the original rezone petition, urged the Assembly to reject the substitute, saying the added overlay would amount to a taking of property rights that he and other signatories had not anticipated when they joined the application.
Assembly members who supported the original ordinance said the rezoning would allow housing and other light-commercial uses consistent with the comprehensive plan designation for portions of the site, and warned that the proposed overlay would be inconsistent with other riverfront rezones. "We need this housing," Assemblymember Wilson said before moving the original ordinance.
The substitute ordinance'which added the 25-foot waterway setback recommended by the Chena Riverfront Commission and the Planning Commission'was not moved for a vote. The original ordinance passed on the first motion 9-0 and a later motion to immediately reconsider failed.
What happens next: The rezoned parcels remain subject to applicable overlay regulations (airport noise, floodplain rules) and any project proposals must follow site plan and permitting review, including floodplain and riverbank protections where relevant. The rezoning does not itself authorize any specific buildings; developers will need to return to planning staff and commissions for specific project approvals.
Ending: The Assembly's decision leaves the waterway setback proposal off the ordinance; members and affected property owners said they expect subsequent permitting and site planning to address riverbank stability and flood risks as specific proposals move forward.
