Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
KEDC presents housing action plan dashboard, mariculture processing feasibility to assembly
Summary
The Kodiak Economic Development Corporation and the University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Economic Development briefed the borough on a housing action plan dashboard and a kelp/mariculture processing feasibility study. Staff said recommendations will be finalized this fall with implementation support to follow.
Melissa Schonweiler, executive director of the Kodiak Economic Development Corporation, and Jared Reynolds, executive director of the University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Economic Development, briefed the Kodiak Island Borough assembly on an action-oriented housing plan and concurrent mariculture/value‑added processing work.
Schonweiler described community workshops and a four-part “recharge our community’s economy” series that identified five areas residents view as economic drivers: childcare, walkability, business support, housing and a seafood market. She urged assembly members and residents to use the housing action plan dashboard and the community survey to guide policy choices.
Jared Reynolds walked through the housing research: a quantitative data analysis, a community survey (about 142 responses at the time he spoke) and stakeholder interviews. He said Kodiak’s median adjusted rent for a two-bedroom apartment is the highest among the major Alaska communities they sampled and that rents have risen about 3.8% per year on average in Kodiak since 2018. He cited a low vacancy rate and a survey finding that roughly 54% of respondents reported spending more than 30% of income on housing — a common cost-burden threshold.
Reynolds said the housing action plan is scheduled for public release in October, with implementation work beginning in November; the Center for Economic Development and KEDC said they will support implementation in partnership with local housing leaders.
On mariculture, KEDC and the Center for Economic Development described a multi‑use processing facility feasibility study and a separate business plan and financial modeling effort. Jared said kelp and other marine products often cannot be transported cost-effectively from Kodiak unless processed locally; the goal of the studies is to determine minimum viable scale, equipment needs, potential sites, permitting status and target markets so a processing facility can become shovel-ready and attract funding.
Assembly members asked about land availability, short-term rentals, zoning and ensuring youth opportunities are included in economic development planning. KEDC said next steps include village outreach, public focus groups and additional data collection; the housing survey remains open for further input.
Documents and a dashboard link are being hosted on KEDC’s site for community review; the presenters invited assembly members and residents to provide suggestions for dashboard features and to participate in forthcoming focus groups.
