Assembly approves rezoning at Herring Bay with vegetative‑buffer condition

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly on April 20 adopted an amended substitute to Ordinance 21‑04, rezoning Lot 76 (Herring Bay) from Heavy Industrial to a Planned Unit Development (PUD) that permits up to six dwellings in a constrained area while retaining industrial uses elsewhere on the parcel.

Planning staff summarized the application and the changes made after public comment, including an applicant proposal to preserve a 15‑foot undisturbed vegetative buffer at the property boundary and to avoid cutting standing healthy trees within a 50‑foot area measured from the neighbor’s lot line. Assembly members asked staff to make the 15‑foot buffer dimension explicit in the master plan; the assembly amended the substitute and approved both the amendment and the amended ordinance on roll calls.

Why it matters: The rezoning alters allowable use on 2.8 acres on South Tongass Highway and was controversial among adjacent property owners concerned about tree removal, setback and views. The planning commission had previously recommended approval with conditions; staff said public infrastructure exists to support residential use in the proposed area.

Votes and procedure: The assembly heard planning staff’s third public hearing on the item, received no new comments at this meeting, approved an amendment to explicitly define the 15‑foot vegetated buffer in the PUD, and then passed the amended substitute ordinance on a roll call vote.

What’s next: The ordinance will be processed consistent with borough code; development will be subject to the PUD standards and the vegetative‑buffer commitments included in the substitute ordinance.