Lands committee recommends two Rezanoff Drive parcels as surplus, asks staff for feasibility cost estimates on Killarney Hills

The Kodiak Island Borough Lands Committee voted July 20 to recommend that two borough-owned parcels on Rezanoff Drive — property ID 21512 and property ID 21582 — be declared surplus to borough needs and forwarded to the Assembly for the public disposal process.

The motion to recommend surplus, moved by a committee member and seconded by the committee chair, passed on a roll-call vote recorded as 5-0. The chair said staff will incorporate committee comments into a screening document before the item goes to the Assembly.

Community Development Director Chris French told the committee the two Rezanoff parcels are closely tied for utilities and access: sewer and water would likely be extended from Sheraton and any work on the southern parcel would have to be routed through the northern parcel. French noted the southern parcel tapers to a point and the shape, slope and proximity to the sewage treatment plant reduce overall developable area and desirability.

Committee members emphasized drainage and neighborhood impacts. ‘‘The comments that were received in favor of retaining these parcels largely had to do with concerns over significantly modifying the drainage in that area,’’ a committee member identified in the record as Sarah said, urging the committee to weigh downstream flooding risks before disposal.

Separately, committee members requested a feasibility study or rough order-of-magnitude (ROM) estimate for the Killarney Hills tract (property ID 23766) before proceeding further. French reported that Killarney Hills is about 16.389 acres, zoned R-2, with roughly 2.6 acres of wetlands and existing ball fields. He said the parcel lacks direct public water and sewer hookups and that extending mains would require additional work, stormwater/drainage fixes and likely a contractor procurement process.

Sarah cited a 2018 city-engineer figure for comparison, saying ‘‘using 2018 numbers … $3,500 per linear foot’’ to extend water/sewer, and warned that a 500-foot extension would approach $1.7 million. She also referenced historical sewer-flow figures and the city’s permit limits when urging caution about capacity constraints. French said staff will confirm available funds in the lands budget and discuss specifics with the finance director.

The committee chair said staff will add committee comments to the screening document, place parcels into tiers (for example, marking highly cost-prohibitive sites as Tier 3) and return a revised screening document at a future meeting. The committee also instructed staff to prepare ROM/feasibility information covering utilities, bedrock and drainage so members can better assess development viability.

The committee set follow-up steps: finalize screening details for the two Rezanoff parcels and prepare feasibility/R.O.M. information for Killarney Hills; the packet will be reviewed by the committee before being forwarded to the Assembly.