Chena Riverfront Plan subcommittee begins update, seeks public input and drafts vision priorities
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Summary
At a Feb. 25 subcommittee meeting, staff introduced steps to update the Chena Riverfront Plan, former commission chair Anna Plager reviewed lessons from the prior update, and commissioners agreed to draft short vision statements and organize the plan into topic 'buckets.' Staff will circulate past public comments and a slideshow ahead of the next meeting.
The Chena Riverfront Plan Subcommittee met Feb. 25 to begin updating the borough's riverfront plan, hear lessons from a past update and set immediate next steps for public outreach and drafting a vision statement.
Staff member Kellen opened the meeting and introduced former Chena Riverfront Commission chair Anna Plager, who summarized the committee process used during the last update and urged careful tracking of substantive changes and broad community outreach. "It really took us almost 2 years to create this stupid thing," Plager said, describing a small planning committee, repeated public meetings and a spreadsheet that captured and categorized public comments.
The subcommittee reviewed prior public‑input results: staff said about 1,000 people responded to a downtown survey used during the last plan and roughly 1,800 people participated in the comprehensive‑plan survey; only about 14 free‑write comments specifically mentioned the Chena River. Commissioners said that limited direct feedback so far means the group should rely on targeted outreach rather than assume broad public attention.
Commissioners discussed how much background material to include in the updated plan. Several favored keeping detailed technical background as an appendix or separate volume while putting a short, public‑facing "pocket plan" up front so residents can quickly understand goals and policies. "We actually have kind of two different versions of several of our plans," Kellen said, describing a short summary plus a full technical document used on other projects.
The group also began drafting a vision for the riverfront. Staff asked each commissioner to prepare a short "elevator‑pitch" vision for what they want the Chena River to look like over the next 20 years. Commissioners proposed organizing the plan into broad subject areas—habitat (water quality, fisheries, riparian health), recreation (onshore and offshore, winter and summer uses), land use and economic development, and implementation (funding and regulatory tools).
Julie Jones, a long‑time advocate for a downtown Riverwalk, urged balancing habitat protection with access and economic opportunity: "I really value access...commercial opportunities that attract tourism and economic development," she said, adding public art and bridges as priorities.
On legal status, staff clarified the update would amend the Chena Riverfront Plan as an element of the borough comprehensive plan rather than directly changing borough code; the assembly adopts the plan and it carries implementing weight when adopted. "I don't see much of an advantage of actually changing code, and I see a lot of advantages of including this in the plan," Kellen said.
Next steps: staff will circulate Anna Plager's slideshow from the previous update, the prior public‑comment spreadsheet and the Chena‑specific comments from the recent comprehensive‑plan survey. Commissioners agreed to prepare vision statement drafts and to review what has changed with the river since 2016 before the next subcommittee meeting. The subcommittee tentatively agreed to avoid holding a subcommittee meeting in months that duplicate full commission meetings unless more time is required and to meet on Tuesdays in May, November and December to avoid holiday conflicts. The meeting adjourned at 2:12 p.m.