Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lake Management Fuller Lake topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission recommends assembly not adopt Fuller Lake management plan after residents and commissioners raise access concerns
Summary
The planning commission voted to recommend that the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly not adopt the Fuller Lake Lake Management Plan (Resolution 25-11) as written, citing concerns that a ban on personal watercraft and a 5-horsepower motor limit on a state-owned lake would unreasonably reduce access and enjoyment by Alaska residents.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission voted, as amended, to recommend that the borough assembly not adopt the Fuller Lake Lake Management Plan and its accompanying ordinance (Resolution 25-11). The commission's amended recommendation specifically cites concern that a total ban on personal watercraft and a maximum 5-horsepower limit for motorized boats on a state-owned lake would unreasonably reduce access, use and enjoyment of Fuller Lake by Alaska residents.
Planning staff said the Fuller Lake Management Plan was initiated by the Fuller Lake community in 2024 under the borough's lake management plan process (MSB 15.24.030(c)). Staff described a multi-step community process: a petition in June 2024, a mailed ballot process by parcel, and subsequent ballots on specific regulations. Fuller Lake spans about 39 surface acres with an average depth of about 5 feet 9 inches; 29 parcels border the lake but one is owned by Meadow Lakes Elementary School and is ineligible to vote, leaving 28 parcels eligible to vote.
Staff reported the ballot sequence produced the following results: 19 of 28 ballots returned on the initial petition (15 in favor, 4 opposed), a secondary ballot on personal watercraft of 17 returns (12 favoring a full ban on personal watercraft, 5 favoring a time-share option), and a final plan ballot with 23 returns (14 in favor, 9 opposed). Staff described the plan's draft regulations including nightly quiet hours, a no-wake buffer of 50 feet from shore, a motor limit of 5 horsepower for motorized watercraft and a prohibition on personal watercraft (personal watercraft defined separately from other motorized vessels in code).
Multiple public speakers and several commissioners objected to the plan's most restrictive measures. Resident Esther Huddleston told the commission, "People who enjoy motorized recreation are losing access ... We're just locking up more land. I think it's time to say no." Commissioners raised legal and policy questions about whether a small group of shoreline property owners should be able to restrict use of a waterbody that staff said is state-owned and therefore available to all Alaskans.
Commissioners also questioned the voting math used in the process. One commissioner observed that the code counts ballots by parcel and only counts returned ballots in the percentage, which can make favorable results appear larger when response rates are low; staff confirmed that the relevant code (MSB 15.24.031) counts returned ballots and treats one ballot per parcel as the controlling metric.
During deliberations the commission amended the resolution to state that a full ban on personal watercraft and the 5-horsepower engine restriction "would unreasonably reduce the access, use and enjoyment of Fuller Lake by Alaska residents" and to recommend the assembly not adopt the plan as written. Commissioner Scoggin moved the amended resolution; Commissioner Carpenter seconded. The commission approved the amended resolution by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
The planning commission is advisory to the borough assembly; the assembly will receive the commission's recommendation and consider the ordinance amending MSB 17.59 to implement the Fuller Lake regulations. Staff noted the lake-management code dates to 1999 and that any policy changes to the code would require assembly action.
Votes at a glance - Resolution: 25-11 — Fuller Lake Lake Management Plan (ordinance to amend MSB 17.59) - Motion: Recommend that the Borough Assembly does not adopt the Fuller Lake Lake Management Plan as written (mover: Commissioner Scoggin; second: Commissioner Carpenter) - Vote: Approved (voice vote; no recorded no/abstain) - Key reasoning: Commission cited concerns that the personal watercraft ban and 5-horsepower limit on a state-owned lake impermissibly reduce Alaska residents' access and enjoyment; commissioners also raised concerns about the parcel-based ballot math and consistency of public access.
