Planning commission approves vacation of part of Augusta National Road after petitioners argue it enables limited development

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning Commission voted April 13 to grant a petition to vacate about 274.41 feet of Augusta National Road and adjacent utility easements, sending the proposal to the Borough Assembly for final action.

Staff advised commissioners that an internal review led to a recommendation to deny the petition as submitted and that approval should be conditioned on emergency-services and road-service-area signoffs. "When he submitted the actual submittal, Robert took a look at it... and he's like, oh, we shouldn't vacate this," a staff member said, explaining Robert Ruffner's view that the corridor could support future connections. The staff report also noted the proposed plan includes a hammerhead turnaround and that CES and the RSA board must approve the design before final plan approval.

Petitioner representative Jason Young of Edge Survey told the commission the neighborhood already functions with a single primary access and that completing the right-of-way dedication would provide little public benefit relative to cost. "The neighborhood already functions with a single primary access, River Hills Drive, which connects all parcels to Chichanski Road and serves approximately 125 residents," Young said. He argued the gravel-pit area has limited development potential and that constructing full borough-standard roads there would serve only a handful of homes.

Justin Baldwin, who said he plans to buy the parcel and build a small business, told commissioners that the narrow slice of land the petition would return to the owners is the only buildable area in the gravel pit and would support new local investment. "This is for a future development of a small business right here on the corner," Baldwin said, adding that the project could raise property tax revenue for the borough.

Commissioners discussed competing considerations: the limited current use of the corridor, the cost and improbability of building a 60-foot right of way through the gravel pit, and staff's caution that the area might someday be improved and used to create an additional exit. One staff member summarized the difference of opinion within the department: "He thought that they... could do something with it connected to the South... but Robert thought we should be denying it."

After discussion, the commission moved to grant the vacation as petitioned under the borough's public-necessity evaluation (KPB 20.65). The motion passed; commissioners directed that findings be drafted and circulated for the record. The Assembly is scheduled to consider the vacation petition at its May 5 meeting.

The petition raises questions about how to balance long-range connectivity and emergency-access planning against near-term development opportunities on parcels with constrained topography and funding limits. Commissioners said they expect the Assembly review and any required emergency-services approvals to provide additional scrutiny.

Action: Planning Commission vote to grant petition to vacate ~274.41 feet of Augusta National Road (KPB file 2026-613V); passed and forwarded to Assembly for hearing on May 5, 2026.