Title 21, Anchorage's plan for future growth, saw some tweaks from Mayor Dan Sullivan Wednesday. The plan outlines what's allowed to be built where -- and what isn't allowed to be built.
The process has been years in the making, starting with zoning codes provisionally passed by the Anchorage Assembly over the course of a few years being passed on to the mayor's office.
Sullivan then asked former Assembly member Dan Coffey to take a look at the changes. After taking all that into consideration, Sullivan released his version of the plan Wednesday afternoon.
Among the changes, he says he's removed the requirement that developers must complete improvements outside property they're working on -- like street paving, for example.
They say they're only required to do that if it benefits the developer's original project.
He says he's also removed a height restriction for buildings in Midtown. Overall, Sullivan says his revisions make zoning laws in Anchorage more friendly for developers.
"It's important to make sure that development has good guidance, but at the same time allows the creative architects and developers out there to not be to restricted in using their skills," Sullivan said.
But at least two organized groups have been critical of the building and zoning code process. Transition Anchorage and Free Title 21 say when the code was provisionally adopted earlier, stakeholders already made a bunch of compromises.
"When the mayor took a look at it, which is certainly legitimate to do, it doesn't honor those previous compromises," said John Weddleton with Free Title 21. "That's the new starting point and we move from there. It was already very much a compromise plan."
The whole package of revisions has to go through both the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Anchorage Assembly for final approval.
Contact Jason Lamb at jlamb@ktuu.com
