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Planning board continues Hatcher Creek Estates subdivision after neighbors raise traffic, aquifer and access concerns
Summary
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission continued the Hatcher Creek Estates preliminary plat to Sept. 18 after residents questioned road access, maintenance and aging aquifer data; the petitioner said a recent DOT right‑of‑way update required redesign.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Commission on Aug. 21 continued public hearing on the Hatcher Creek Estates preliminary plat to Sept. 18 after residents raised traffic, road‑maintenance and groundwater concerns.
The petition seeks to create 36 lots across about 39 acres east of North Covington Street and south of North Wasilla Fish Hook Road. Craig Hansen, the petitioner’s representative, told the board that the Alaska Department of Transportation provided new right‑of‑way information during the review and that the plat needed redesign to reflect a wider corridor.
Neighbors at the hearing said the design channels traffic onto New Hope Farm Road, a residential street that residents say the borough has not yet accepted for maintenance. Patricia Sykes, a developer who said her New Hope Estates adjoins the site, said New Hope Farm Road has not been accepted for borough maintenance and that current landowners have been maintaining it for years. Sykes asked the commission to require an additional stub or a connection to Covington so traffic would not be funneled through a private section of New Hope Farm Road.
John James, who said he lives on New Hope Farm Road and helped develop the area, echoed traffic and safety concerns and asked whether a recent water study exists. James said the most recent aquifer information he could find was about 20 years old and said additional development could stress the groundwater.
Planning officer Fred Wagner said the borough’s capital improvements and predesign staff had indicated a preference that traffic tie to New Hope Farm Road rather than extend Covington at this time; Hansen said his original design had included a Covington connection but that the borough’s guidance led the petitioner to route traffic to New Hope Farm Road.
Because Hansen said new DOT right‑of‑way information required redesigned plats and supporting drawings, the planning staff recommended a continuance to allow those revisions and to let staff verify whether and when the public portion of New Hope Farm Road would be accepted for maintenance. The commission voted to continue the item to Sept. 18.
The continuance preserves the ability for the petitioner to return with a revised plat that shows access changes; the hearing will reopen and public testimony will be taken at the later date.
