Kenai Peninsula Borough planning commission backs ordinance to auction 30 borough parcels; Cooper Landing parcel disclosure updated

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning Commission voted June 9 to forward to the borough assembly a recommendation to adopt Ordinance 2025-10, authorizing the borough to sell 30 parcels by a live public outcry simulcast and online auction, with a secondary online-only auction scheduled to follow.

Aaron Hughes, Land Management Officer for the borough, told the commission the 2025 general land sale proposes disposal of 30 parcels across the borough, five of which are marked eligible for the LAP affordability program. He said the auction is scheduled for Aug. 9 at the Soldotna High School auditorium and that “minimum reserves currently are set at about $2,800,000.” Hughes said the administration sent courtesy notices to borough departments, school districts, service areas, cities and state entities and received one formal comment from the State of Alaska concerning properties in Cooper Landing, which the borough addressed in revised sale disclosures.

The commission’s discussion focused largely on a Cooper Landing parcel (parcel number 11911019), which community members previously believed contained an old dump site. Commissioner Morgan said she had trouble finding materials posted online before the advisory planning commission meeting and told staff, “I have some concerns about the parcel number 11911019,” asking whether the Cooper Landing APC recommended language change had been received.

Hughes confirmed the borough received the APC’s recommended language and that it would be incorporated in the sale disclosure. He described due diligence completed earlier in the year: “we retained a party contractor to go conduct test holes on that property. They dug five test holes throughout the parcel down to a depth of 12 feet, and the report that we received back said that the soils on that property had been undisturbed.” Hughes said adjacent properties contained surface debris and temporary improvements but that borough staff could find no record in the Alaska Division of Land (ADL), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or U.S. Forest Service records proving a dump site on the borough parcel.

Commissioners asked whether electric utilities had been contacted about historic transformer disposal. Hughes said the borough had not reached out to Chugach Electric and acknowledged the reference but reiterated that the subsurface tests found no disturbance. He said the borough would disclose the local community’s concern that disposal exists along the east boundary and would remove qualifying language such as “possible” if the Cooper Landing APC’s recommendation was accepted: “the disclosure will be updated to reference there is disposal on the east boundary or we’ll just remove the term possible as recommended by the APC,” Hughes said.

Commissioner Whitney asked whether a parcel could be withdrawn from the sale if new information surfaced before auction; Hughes said the ordinance would authorize the administration to pull any parcel at any time prior to sale. The commission also discussed foreclosed parcels included in the sale; Hughes said some foreclosures taken back more than 10 years ago will be offered and that, because of the passage of time, the borough can convey perfected title to buyers.

The commission voted to recommend adoption of the ordinance. Recorded roll-call votes in the meeting transcript show Commissioners Slaughter, Fikes, Morgan, Venuti, Epperheimer, Whitney, England, Gillum and Brantley voting in favor; the motion passed.

The administration’s packet, the contractor soils report and the revised sale disclosures are the materials staff noted as the basis for the recommendation. Hughes said the auction minimum reserve figure and the list of parcels are in the meeting materials and that questions about specific parcels should be directed to borough land management.

The commission forwarded the ordinance to the assembly for final action. The assembly will consider the ordinance before any parcels are sold and the administration retains authority to withdraw parcels if validated concerns arise prior to sale.