The Kenai Peninsula Borough Plat Committee voted unanimously Oct. 27 to grant an exception that allows an existing shop on Apache Acres Plat 9 to remain inside a 10-foot utility easement.

The exception, requested for KPB file 2024-123, applies to Kenai Peninsula Borough Code section 20.60.150(b) (utility easements). Staff reported the plat subdivides a roughly 2-acre parcel into two lots (about 1.206 acres and 1.8187 acres) and that an existing shop sits partially inside the 10-foot utility easement; the northwest corner of the shop is 4.7 feet from the property line and 5.3 feet into the easement. Staff recommended approval of a limited exception, and the committee moved and voted to grant it with findings tied to the code standards.

The staff report described the shop as an existing structure that has been in place for more than 30 years and noted utility companies had not submitted comments on the shop’s location. Staff recommended the committee record on the final plat a note describing the exception, limiting it to the structures shown and their current location and life of the structure; the note must reference the date the committee granted the exception.

Jerry Johnson of Johnson Surveying, the applicant’s representative, told the committee he was available to answer questions. No members of the public spoke in opposition. After brief discussion, the committee made the requested findings and approved the exception in a separate motion; the chair asked for a roll-call vote and the five committee members present voted yes.

The committee’s approval preserves the existing shop in its current location but requires the exception be shown on the final plat and be limited to the structures depicted. The action does not authorize additional permanent structures within the utility easement beyond those shown on the plat.