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Senate committee hears proposal to add housing plan language to municipal comprehensive plans
Summary
Senate Bill 50 would add a housing‑plan component to the list of items that may be included in municipal comprehensive plans under AS 29.40.030(a). Supporters described the change as symbolic guidance to spur local planning; the committee took no final action.
Senate Labor and Commerce held a first hearing March 3 on Senate Bill 50, which would add “a housing plan” to the list of topics that may be included in municipal comprehensive plans under state law.
Sponsor Senator Forrest Dunbar said the change is small but important, clarifying that the statutory language remains permissive—using “may” rather than creating a new mandate—and is intended to encourage local governments to address housing in future plan updates. Halen Behnken, staff to Senator Dunbar, described the bill as a single‑section amendment to AS 29.40.030(a) to add a housing plan as a component that may be included in comprehensive plans.
Christopher Constant, a member of the Anchorage Assembly, testified in support, saying communities need planning to tackle the state’s housing shortage and that the bill provides helpful guidance without imposing immediate costs on local governments. Sandra Moller, participating online from the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development’s Division of Community and Regional Affairs, said the division does not oppose the change and noted a longer‑term rewrite of Title 29 is anticipated in coming years.
Senator Dunbar and staff emphasized that SB 50 would not require municipalities to redo existing comprehensive plans; it is intended to be implemented as local governments update plans on their normal multi‑year cycles.
The committee set the bill aside for future consideration; no vote was taken at the hearing.
