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Planning Commission approves easement vacation, forwards ordinances and recommends Homer plan to Assembly
Summary
At its Feb. 23 meeting the commission approved a utility easement vacation, granted a culvert permit with an on-the-floor correction, forwarded a 20-year Seward shooting-range lease and an amendment to property-disposition rules to the Assembly, and recommended adoption of Homer’s 2045 comprehensive plan.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning Commission on Feb. 23 approved multiple land-use actions and forwarded several ordinances to the Borough Assembly.
Utility easement vacation: The commission adopted Planning Commission Resolution 2026-17 granting a petition to vacate a now-unnecessary 15-foot utility easement along the south line of Lots 1A and 2A in the Lofty Estates subdivisions, incorporating the staff report and two conditions. Staff reported the easement traces to plats dating to 1976 and was adjusted by a subsequent subdivision; no public comments were received.
Culvert permit and correction: Staff presented a renewal of a 2022 conditional use permit for culvert work along the Kenai Spur Highway required to begin in 2026. Morgan Aldridge, the planner, described replacement of an existing culvert with a fish-passable structure (corrected on the record to a 162-inch by 288-foot culvert), 129 cubic yards of excavation and 1,254 cubic yards of fill, and notice to 11 property owners; the commission amended the draft resolution on the floor to fix a typographical error and adopted Resolution 2026-16 granting the permit subject to staff conditions.
Seward shooting range lease: Aaron Hughes, Land Management Officer, described Ordinance 2026-07 authorizing a long-term lease to the City of Seward for operation of a public outdoor shooting range covering approximately 13.5 acres, with a 20-year term and nominal rent of $1 per year; the commission voted to forward a recommendation to the Assembly to adopt the ordinance.
Property disposition code amendment: Hughes also presented Ordinance 2026-06 to amend Borough Code section 17.10.100(f) to allow the Assembly (with administration) to set a minimum acceptable bid or reserve amount for future property offerings while still relying on comparables, appraisals and assessor input to establish fair market value. Commissioners discussed valuation approaches and the difference between assessed, appraised and fair market values and then voted to forward the ordinance to the Assembly.
Homer comprehensive plan: The commission recommended that the Assembly adopt Ordinance 2026-04 to incorporate the City of Homer 2045 comprehensive plan into the borough comprehensive plan following an extensive public outreach process; Ryan Foster, Homer’s city planner, noted the plan will inform upcoming zoning code updates.
Votes at a glance: Planning Commission actions taken Feb. 23, 2026 — Resolution 2026-17 (easement vacation): adopted (unanimous); Resolution 2026-16 (culvert C.U.P.): adopted (unanimous, amendment corrected dimension on the floor); Resolution 2026-15 (River Center C.U.P.): adopted (unanimous); Ordinance 2026-07 (Seward lease): forwarded to Assembly with recommendation to adopt (unanimous); Ordinance 2026-06 (disposition methods): forwarded to Assembly with recommendation to adopt (unanimous); Ordinance 2026-04 (Homer comprehensive plan): forwarded to Assembly with recommendation to adopt (unanimous).
No contested votes were recorded and most items passed on unanimous roll-call votes. Several commissioners emphasized that permits authorize work within setbacks but do not authorize contracting or borough expenditures — those decisions will proceed through separate procurement and Assembly processes.
The commission concluded with a plat committee report noting approval of four plats and brief director comments on an updated critical-infrastructure firewise plan; the meeting was then adjourned.
