Borough land-use ordinance rewritten

September 29, 2006

By Michael Rovito/Frontiersman PALMER - Amid cheers and applause from assembly members Tuesday evening, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly approved a rewrite of Title 16 - repealing the old document and adopting Title 27 - and ending about six years of debate over land-use regulations.

In a shorter-than-usual amendment process, during which motions to end debate were proposed numerous times, assembly members presented both prepared and impromptu last-minute changes to the rewrite. In all, almost 75 amendments were put to the title, borough Planning and Land Use Director Murph O' Brien said.

After a couple of weeks, O ‘Brien said, Title 27 will be looked at again to see if any corrections need to be made before its implementation in about six months.

The 151-page document lays out a plan it says is meant to “protect the health, safety and welfare of borough residents and to promote the orderly development of the borough.”

That statement has come under attack at past assembly meetings from some residents of the borough's more remote areas. They said certain regulations that make sense in the Palmer and Wasilla areas are unnecessary in sparsely populated areas.

O'Brien said that, while some may still have reservations about the effect Title 27 will have on remote areas, he and his department are confident it will benefit future development.

“In the end, it will serve the residents of the borough very well,” O' Brien said, adding that some areas considered remote in Palmer and Wasilla 20 years ago show what can happen when development grips the area.

Visibly frustrated at the end of debate Tuesday, Jim Colver was the only assembly member to vote against approving the rewrite.

“I feel it's unbalanced, that the assembly didn't walk the talk as far as delivering some kind of a set of circumstances in which to develop our rural areas of the borough,” Colver said.

Colver, whose assembly tenure is set to expire because of term limits, said this is the second-largest piece of legislation he has worked on during his term.

The last revision of Title 16 took place in 1988 after a decline in the borough's population. O'Brien said that year's rewrite relaxed many of the regulations for development in an attempt to counter a slump in home building and development in the area.

As the Mat-Su's population grew - at one time making the list of the United State's fastest growing areas - the borough discovered more regulation was necessary as development spiked.

Even with a large public outcry against some of the language in the rewrite, Title 27 does have its supporters, most notably the Mat-Su Home Builders Association.

A representative with the association was unavailable for comment.

The subject of Title 27 frequently has been mentioned by candidates for various offices in the borough. The hot-button issue has garnered a slew of opinions from elected officials such as Borough Mayor Tim Anderson, who is running for assembly District 3 seat. He said he is satisfied with the title as is, but realizes there will be fixes. Borough mayor candidate Charlie Fannon has, in past interviews, called the rewrite a nightmare for remote areas.

Even as opinions continue to be voiced around the Mat-Su, the landmark decision Tuesday has paved the way for future development to be guided by a set of regulations that O'Brien said is the result of a long public process.

“If there are glitches, then maybe there will be some amendments,” O'Brien said. “It's been the end of a long process, and we feel good.”

Contact Michael Rovito at 352-2252 or michael.rovito@ frontiersman.com.