Kenai Peninsula Borough plat committee approves preliminary plats, grants exceptions and elects vice chair

The Kenai Peninsula Borough plat committee on April 13, 2026, elected a vice chair and approved preliminary plats for three subdivisions — Alaska State Land Survey No. 2021-11, Whistlebake Estates Edition No. 3 (KPB file 2026-023) and Blessing Estates (KPB file 2025-072R1) — granting related exceptions to borough code in each case.

The committee opened the meeting, conducted nominations and confirmed Commissioner Whitney as vice chair by unanimous consent. The committee then moved through the consent agenda and read public hearing procedures into the record before taking up the plats.

Staff member Vincent presented the Alaska State Land Survey No. 2021-11 preliminary plat, saying the proposal would subdivide five remote parcels near Bradley Lake, east of Kachemak Bay, into tracts ranging roughly from 4.00 acres to about 436.6 acres and that access is by a HEA-maintained private dirt road. Vincent recommended granting exceptions related to survey monumentation and wastewater-disposal requirements and urged the committee to tie findings to the applicable KPB standards and to add plat notes documenting any exceptions. “Staff recommends grant approval of the preliminary plat subject to staff recommendations and compliance with KBB code,” Vincent said.

With no petitioner present and no public testimony on that item, a committee member moved to grant preliminary approval and to adopt the staff report and recommendations. The committee voted by roll call; the motion and separate exception motions passed with recorded unanimous votes.

On Whistlebake Estates, staff described a proposed subdivision of a 30.269-acre tract into three small lots (about 1.055 acres each) and a larger tract (about 27.214 acres), identified legal access via Valley View Drive, Jacobson Avenue and Desmond Avenue, and noted a building-setback encroachment tied to an existing airstrip. Resident Douglas Bass asked about a missing “plat note 7” that was shown on the map near a covered hangar; Vincent acknowledged plat note 7 was missing from the packet and indicated staff would either renumber the notes or insert the appropriate note referencing any approved exception. Bass asked whether the displayed overhang was inside the encroachment area; staff said the plat note would be updated to reflect the exception if approved.

The committee moved to grant preliminary approval to Whistlebake Estates and to grant exceptions to KPB setback and encroachment provisions, attach findings supporting the exceptions, and vote on the main motion. The committee recorded unanimous votes to grant the exceptions and to approve the preliminary plat.

For Blessing Estates (KPB file 2025-072R1), staff said the proposal would recombine parent parcels totaling about 18.8111 acres into eight lots ranging approximately 1.041 to 4.479 acres, with a proposed dedication of Blessing Street to provide access. Staff flagged wetlands shown in the KWF assessment and recommended ground-truthing by a certified wetland specialist before any road construction crossing wetlands, and staff recommended preliminary approval subject to conditions and separate findings for exception requests. Christopher Mulligan, the project surveyor, introduced himself and said he had reviewed the staff report and had no objections; he said the owner was obtaining a wetland specialist to provide additional information. The committee granted the requested exceptions (including tangent-length and subdivision-name exceptions cited in the staff report) and then approved the preliminary plat by unanimous roll-call votes.

Staff reported that Pioneer Vista Unit 6 (Young Subdivision, KPB file 2025-135) required additional city of Homer review for proposed right-of-way dedication; the committee postponed action on that item pending the city review. There were no comments during the period for public comments not on the agenda.

The meeting closed after a unanimous vote to adjourn. No appeals, denials or formal conditions beyond the standard staff conditions and the requirement to document granted exceptions on final plats were recorded in committee action.

What happens next: approved preliminary plats proceed with staff conditions and with any required final plat documentation; Pioneer Vista Unit 6 remains postponed pending city review.