Housing

Addressing Housing Issues Within the Community

The Borough Assembly and staff have been actively working over the past several years to identify and address housing issues in the community.  The following is a list of code amendments and administrative actions that have been taken to reduce development barriers and increase the opportunity to obtain housing in the Borough:

• September 5, 2023 - The Assembly adopted Ordinance 2025, which appropriated $200,000 from the Borough's Housing Capital Fund for future subdivision projects at the Borough's Mile 17/18 and Fawn Mountain Properties. 
• July 17, 2023 - The Assembly awarded a contract to Points Consulting, LLC in the amount of $76,170 to conduct a Housing Market Analysis on behalf of the Borough.
• May 22, 2023 - The Assembly adopted the Borough's FY 2024 budget with the passage of Ordinance 2018 - Substitute.  Contained within was an appropriation of $350,000 from the Borough's Housing Capital Fund for advancing the Borough's subdivision projects.
• May 1, 2023 - The Assembly adopted Ordinance 2011 - Substitute Amended, amending Title 18 to define "short-term rentals" and to add them to the residential, commercial and miscellaneous land use tables as a permitted use with standards, requiring one parking space per short-term rental unit. 
• August 15, 2022 - The Assembly took action to reduce development barriers and increase the stock of suitable land for development - starting with potential subdivisions identified at Mile 17/18, Cedarwood and Fawn Mountain. 
  • August 15, 2022 Housing Presentation to the Assembly
• August 1, 2022 - The Assembly adopted Ordinance 1988,  amending Title 18 during  to facilitate the development of residential dwelling units through the following actions:
  • Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs) permitted administratively rather than the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process.
  • Triplex dwellings can be permitted administratively in Low-Density Residential (RL) and Medium-Density Residential (RM) zones if one off-street parking space is provided for each bedroom in the dwelling unit.
  • Four family dwellings can be permitted in the RM zone with a CUP, or administratively if one off-street parking space is provided for each bedroom.
  • The minimum area for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) rezone is reduced from two acres to 10,000 square feet for residential PUDs.
• April 18, 2022 - The Assembly directed staff to establish a "Housing Capital Fund" for the purpose of developing subdivisions, housing and/or roads; and include a transfer of $7,000,000 from General Fund reserves to the capital fund in the FY 2023 budget.  The Assembly adopted Ordinance 1980 - Amended on May 16, 2022, approving the FY 2023 Borough budget, which included the $7,000,000 transfer into the Housing Capital Fund. 
• February 3, 2020 - The Assembly adopted Ordinance 1904, amending Title 4 to allow for the deferral of property taxes for up to five years on a subdivision resulting in three or more parcels as allowed under AS 29.45.051.