Planning Commission approves Central Gravel Products extraction permit with conditions

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission on Feb. 3 approved Resolution 24-31, a conditional use permit (CUP) allowing Central Gravel Products to extract approximately 7,500,000 cubic yards of material from a site that spans roughly 153 acres within three parcels near East Bogard Road and North Angstrom Road.

Planning staff said the application, submitted in May 2024, was updated after the commission postponed consideration in November to allow the applicant and Alaska Department of Transportation (ADOT) more time to finalize driveway and access details. Peggy Horton, current planner with the borough’s Development Services Division, told commissioners the staff report recommends conditions including a wetlands delineation to establish a 100-foot undisturbed buffer where required and flexibility for visual screening to avoid worsening snow drifting along Angstrom Road.

The CUP drew substantial public comment, largely in support of the applicant. Owners and local contractors described Central Gravel Products as a long-running, well-managed local operation and said keeping gravel pits closer to the valley center reduces trucking costs and regional road wear. “We do limit our hours during school… we’ve trained our truckers pretty well not to show up much before 08:00 in the morning,” owner Jade Laughlin said, adding the company uses dust-control measures and phased reclamation.

Speakers who raised concerns asked the commission to ensure strict wetlands protections, tighter controls on traffic and dust, and clearly defined reclamation staging. One resident, Jim Klauder, questioned the applicant’s traffic estimates and calculated that, under the applicant’s peak-season numbers, truck movements could average as often as every four minutes on Bogard and Angstrom during busy periods. Planning staff and the applicant said ADOT has reviewed driveway plans and will attach permit conditions; staff also noted the site will require a stormwater pollution prevention plan (to be submitted to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation) and a DNR-approved phased reclamation plan.

A recurring topic in testimony and staff discussion was the planned Angstrom–Trunk Road corridor, a larger borough transportation project that has two route alternatives (northern and southern). Several residents and the North Lakes Community Council asked the commission to condition the CUP so the pit’s primary driveway would be relocated to a southern connector if that alignment is constructed. Public works director Tom Adams said the borough has not selected a final alignment and that the corridor study is preliminary; he cautioned that tying a CUP approval to construction of a multi-million-dollar borough road with no established timetable would be problematic.

Commissioner Glenn moved to approve Resolution 24-31; Commissioner McCabe seconded. There were no objections and the commission approved the CUP. Commissioners on record during the vote were Glenn, McCabe, Allen and Fernandez; Commissioner Scoggin was absent. The staff report and the approved conditions require a wetlands delineation, adherence to the borough’s 100-foot wetlands buffer rule where applicable, submission of a stormwater pollution prevention plan before construction, and phased reclamation consistent with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources approval.

Votes at a glance — Resolution 24-31: Approved (motion by Commissioner Glenn; second by Commissioner McCabe); vote recorded as unanimous by commissioners present. Absent: Commissioner Scoggin.

The commission also viewed a drone site video during the quasi-judicial hearing, and several speakers urged the borough to continue public outreach as the Angstrom–Trunk corridor study proceeds.

What happens next: The CUP decision and any associated permits are subject to the borough’s administrative timelines and appeal periods. Staff said ADOT must complete final construction-permit paperwork before certain driveway work begins, and the applicant must submit required environmental and reclamation plans before construction activity commences.