Plan Committee approves preliminary plats for Carroll, LaSalle Mantoff Lake and Lynn subdivisions; grants dimensional exceptions

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Plan Committee granted preliminary approval April 14 for three preliminary subdivision plats and separately approved requests for exceptions to lot-dimension standards, while also approving a multi-item consent agenda of plats.

The committee approved preliminary plat actions for Carroll Subdivision (KPP file 2025-026), a plat the surveyor asked be renamed H and H Sister Subdivision for final filing; LaSalle Mantoff Lake Subdivision (KPP file 2025-041) and Lynn Subdivision, Besargent Addition (KPB file 2025-027). For each preliminary plat the committee adopted staff recommendations and required standard surveyor follow-ups prior to final filing.

Staff described the Carroll Subdivision as a subdivision of a 26.471-acre tract into four lots ranging from about 5.73 to 7.41 acres with legal access on Kasselhoff River Road and multiple recorded easements including ADL 63139 (10-foot pedestrian easement) and ADL 34494 (100-foot transmission-line easement). Staff recommended approval of an exception to Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) Code 20.30.190(a) — the lot-dimension (depth-to-width) standard — for certain lots; the committee voted to grant that exception and then granted preliminary approval to the plat, with staff conditions and required plat notes reflecting any exceptions.

For LaSalle Mantoff Lake Subdivision staff said the proposal would subdivide a 103.06-acre parcel into 44 lots ranging from about 1.07 to 3.88 acres and described proposed dedications and new roads (proposed West Shore Loop, Queens Way and Spruce Haven Street). The surveyor requested an exception to KPB 20.30.190(a) for lots 11–17 in Block 3; staff recommended granting the exception and the committee approved it and the preliminary plat subject to staff conditions. A letter of public opposition was included in the packet and a desk-packet comment was also provided.

For Lynn Subdivision, Besargent Addition staff reported a 10.09-acre parent parcel to be divided into six lots and a tract; staff noted an existing structure on the proposed Tract A1A that may encroach into the 20-foot building setback recorded with the parent plat, and that wetlands indicators affect the northern portion of the plat. Staff recommended a field survey to confirm any encroachment and a note on the final plat that developers must obtain applicable local, state and federal permits, including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wetland determinations if required. The surveyor at the meeting said a soils investigation and report by a licensed civil engineer, including test wells, would be completed before final submittal.

Public testimony focused on traffic, access and drainage. Joe Arness, a resident of 51941 Arness Road in Nikiski, said the new subdivision’s primary egress would route traffic toward a sharp 90-degree curve on Miller Loop Road and called that intersection “a terrible place for an intersection,” asking the borough to consider Kirsch Avenue as an alternative access. Resident William Gee of 52438 Buttermilk Road told the committee three lots would be landlocked until Presidio (Presidio/Presidio Avenue) is constructed and described soggy, waterlogged ground conditions near the site. Jason Hyer, who owns property at 36303 Hutchins Street, said recent drainage work tied into a culvert used as his driveway and expressed concern about future access and drainage.

Director Roughner and staff responded that multiple access points exist to the north in addition to the southern connection and that developers may choose to use Kirsch Avenue; the borough’s role is to confirm legal access and to require road permits and drainage standards at the roads-department level during road construction. Staff advised that responsibilities for culverts and drainage are typically addressed through the roads permitting and, if future borough maintenance is desired, through standards developers must meet to obtain maintenance. Surveyor Andrew Hamilton said the preliminary plat omitted soils information on the face but that a soils investigation and test wells will be completed by a licensed civil engineer before final submittal.

The committee approved the consent agenda, which included minutes from the March 24, 2025 plat committee meeting and a group plat package that listed multiple plats by title (Point Subdivision; Friday Replat; Choudhura Subdivision, Piccolo Edition; Hollinsburg Highway Subdivision; Benjamin Bartheson subdivision; Eagle Crest Subdivision; Pacific Park 2025 Replat; Salmatop Airpark 2025 Edition; Spruce Gate Subdivision Number 3 2025 Replat; Soldotna Creek The Point Edition 2025 Replat; Soldotna Junction Subdivision 2025 Replat; and Seward Original Town Site Quaby Park). One plat on the packet (E13) was removed from consent because a speaker wished to address it.

Motions to grant the preliminary approvals and to grant the exceptions to KPB 20.30.190(a) were made and seconded; roll-call votes recorded Commissioners Morgan, Whitney, Venuti and Gillum voting yes on the exception and main motions reported in the transcript. The motions passed.