Assembly adopts Fuller Lake management plan after months of community debate

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly on Aug. 19 adopted ordinance 25-079, enacting the Fuller Lake Lake Management Plan and amending borough code to implement community-approved restrictions, including a full ban on personal watercraft, a 5-horsepower motor limit for boats and quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.

The plan drew months of community meetings, multiple ballots of shoreline parcel owners and sharp debate at Tuesday’s public hearing. Borough planner Rebecca Scott Hogg summarized the process to the assembly, saying the petition to begin the plan was valid and that "Fuller Lake spans roughly 39 surface acres with the average depth of 5 feet 9 inches," and that 28 parcels were eligible to vote after one parcel (Meadow Lakes Elementary School) was excluded from voting.

The Fuller Lake process began in 2023 after residents raised concerns about safety and wildlife disturbance. Hogg told the assembly that petition and ballot results met the thresholds set in borough code: 61% of shoreline property owners signed the initial petition; a primary ballot returned 19 of 28 ballots with 15 in favor and…