Planning board approves variance and 24‑month plat for withdrawn 16 South parcel despite condominium association objections

The Anchorage Planning Board on Jan. 21 approved a variance and a 24‑month preliminary plat that will allow an undeveloped portion of the 16 South condominium development to be withdrawn and sold as a separate lot.

The petitioner sought a variance from the Anchorage Municipal Code minimum lot‑depth standard (AMC 21.08.030) to permit proposed Lot 1A to have about 74 feet of depth — roughly six feet less than the 80‑foot minimum — while retaining a lot area of about 10,793 square feet. The motion to approve the variance was moved by Mr. Cross and seconded by Mr. Jones; the board later approved the related 24‑month plat subject to conditions in the staff report.

The decision follows competing arguments at a public hearing. The petitioner’s land surveyor, Jonathan Lang of Lang and Associates, told the board that the parcel had been legally withdrawn from the condominium under state law and that the department’s staff analysis found the variance standards were met. Residents and the homeowners association argued the withdrawal and proposed lot line would encroach on condominium common areas and eliminate backyards, creating negative impacts for owners.

Staff and petitioner arguments

Planning staff told the board that no reviewing agencies objected and that the variance standards were met because (1) the withdrawal created special circumstances for the remainder…