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Planning commission to hold public hearing in June on assisted-living code amendment
Summary
The Kodiak Island Borough Planning & Zoning Commission reviewed a staff-drafted zoning amendment that would add definitions for assisted living homes and assisted living facilities, reference Alaska statutes, and allow such uses either as permitted uses or by conditional use permit depending on scale.
The Kodiak Island Borough Planning & Zoning Commission reviewed a proposed amendment to the borough zoning code on March 12 that would add definitions for "assisted living home" and "assisted living facility" and incorporate a reference to Alaska statutes for assisted-living licensing.
The amendment, presented by a borough staff member identified in the meeting as Chris, would define assisted-living uses by scale — distinguishing smaller, home-scale operations from larger facilities — and would specify where each use is permitted either as a use of right in certain zoning districts or by conditional use permit in others. "This last iteration of the ordinance has been reviewed by the borough attorney," Chris said, adding that the principal change since the last draft was inserting the Alaska statute reference into the definition.
Commissioners pressed staff for local data during the discussion. Commissioner Neff asked whether the borough knew how many licensed assisted-living facilities exist locally. "The state did not provide information to us or would not provide information to us on number, and we had not gone through . . . a public records request," Chris replied. He said staff had not compiled a verified count of licensed facilities in the city or borough.
Commissioners and staff also discussed implementation details and how the code amendment would interact with building and health licensing. Chris noted that square footage and interior-space requirements typically fall under building-code and state licensing review rather than the borough's land-use rules. "Primarily, we're talking about . . . from a land use standpoint, where would it be?" he said.
The commission agreed to schedule a public hearing on the amendment for the June meeting so the public can comment and the commission can consider the ordinance formally.
Why it matters: Adding assisted-living definitions to the zoning code clarifies where and how assisted-living services may be located in the borough and creates a process (permitted use or conditional use permit) for reviewing new or expanded facilities. The absence of a verified local count of licensed facilities was noted by staff and flagged as a remaining information gap.
Next steps: The commission will place the proposed assisted-living code amendment on the June agenda for a public hearing. Staff noted that any questions about licensing levels or counts could be pursued through a public-records request to the state.
