Planning commission postpones two Baranoff/Denali housing cases after neighbors cite parking, drainage

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Planning Commission on Jan. 23 postponed decisions on two conditional‑use permit requests that would add seven dwelling units on two adjoining lots in the Baranoff/Denali neighborhood, after sustained public opposition over parking, drainage and neighborhood character.

Staff planner Miss Johnson introduced case 26001 as a request for a triplex at Lot 54 (US Survey 1587) in the RM zone and said the code requires one off‑street parking space per dwelling. "This triplex use is allowed with a conditional use permit, and one off‑street parking space is required per dwelling unit," Miss Johnson said (first referenced SEG 095). She added that setbacks and a 30‑foot height limit apply and that site development and city building permits remain required.

Neighbors, many of whom said they have lived in the neighborhood for decades, told commissioners the project would remove curb parking in a corridor that already fills with boats and trailers seasonally, and that the lots suffer persistent underground seepage. "You're looking to lose 45 feet of curb parking," said Hannah Remiskey, who said she has lived on Tower Road since 1981 (SEG 212–SEG 313). Esther Rhodes and Thelma Catherine Andrew likewise cited an easement, flooding and lot‑line confusions that they say increase the risk of damage to adjacent homes (see speakers list). The neighborhood testimony emphasized safety, sight‑line and school‑bus stop concerns.

Applicants Jeff Miller and Wayne Sharp joined remotely and said each unit would include an indoor garage plus a partially covered driveway parking space. "Our intention is to sell them as, you know, to families as single‑family homes," Miller said, adding the units would be priced to market (SEG 201–SEG 205, SEG 871–SEG 1022).

Commissioners weighed the competing priorities — an acknowledged local need for housing and the neighbors' concerns about on‑street congestion and stormwater — then moved to postpone. Commissioner Shaw moved to continue the triplex case to the March 10, 2026 meeting to allow additional information and neighborhood outreach; the clerk recorded the roll call and the motion passed (five in favor, two opposed). Commissioners then postponed the adjoining four‑family application (case 26002) to the same March meeting for the same reasons; that motion also carried with five votes in favor.

Next steps: the applicants may supply additional materials on stormwater/drainage plans and undertake outreach to the affected neighbors before the March 10 hearing. The commission’s postponement is procedural — the applications remain active and will return to the commission for further review and a final recommendation.