Anchorage panel approves west-side landscaping variance, rejects reduction along south boundary for multifamily infill

The Municipality of Anchorage Urban Design Commission on May 13 approved a variance to reduce required L2 landscaping along the west property boundary of a 44-unit multifamily site that seeks to add 36 new units, but the commission rejected a comparable reduction on the south boundary.

Planning staff recommended denial of the overall variance request for case 2026-0052 after concluding several variance standards were only partially met. Staff explained the west boundary abuts commercially zoned land that includes a platted 30-foot screening easement, while the south boundary abuts R-1 single-family lots where a reduced buffer would diminish the separation the code intends.

Petitioner representative Kate Souve told the commission the project would remove four existing units and construct three new buildings, providing the full number of required trees and shrubs and a six-foot screening fence where the landscaping bed widths are reduced. Souve said some parking areas and a required fire apparatus turnaround constrain a continuous 10-foot bed on parts of the west and south lines and that final drainage and utility locations will be addressed in building-permit design.

Neighbors and the Sand Lake Community Council opposed the south-boundary reduction. "They push the snow up against the fence," testified Kyle Peterson, an adjacent homeowner and licensed civil engineer, saying existing storm drainage is "woefully insufficient" and that he has paid to install French drains to mitigate runoff. Paul Kurisak, testifying by phone, said he spent about $17,000 on a French drain and urged the city to resolve existing drainage problems before allowing additional units. Elizabeth Vasquez, president of the Sand Lake Community Council, read a council resolution urging a transition buffer to protect nearby single-family homes and requesting clearer notice to neighbors.

Commissioner Nanao moved to approve the variance for the west property boundary from AMC 21.07.080(e), subject to the conditions listed on pages 5–6 of the staff report; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Foland and passed 6–0. Commissioners who supported the west-side variance noted the adjacent commercial zoning and the existing 30-foot screening easement provided comparable buffering in that location.

The commission then considered the south-boundary reduction separately. Commissioner Strait and others said the reduced buffer would not meet the intent of the L2 standard where the site abuts R-1 lots, citing the history of drainage and snow-storage impacts on adjacent properties. The motion to grant the south-boundary variance failed, with the commission recording 0 in favor and 6 opposed.

The commission’s action preserves the code’s protective landscaping buffer along the south edge while allowing a regulated exception on the west edge tied to specific staff conditions. Staff and several commissioners emphasized that final detention and stormwater-treatment measures will be required at the building-permit stage to limit runoff to neighboring properties.

Next steps: the approved west-boundary variance will be processed with the written findings and conditions noted in the staff report; the denied south-boundary variance may be revised by the applicant and returned later, and any appeal of an administrative decision must be filed with the planning director under the timelines cited during the hearing.