The next big Valley growth location is Knik


Published on Saturday, October 24, 2009 7:35 PM AKDT

Knik-Goose Bay Road is becoming one of the most traveled in the Valley. Along the road, home after home, townhouse after townhouse have gone up in recent years. The movement south continues unabated.

All this before the prison is built.

All this while Port MacKenzie is in its infancy.

Shoot, Settler’s Bay has its own gas station/liquor store/convenience store now.

There’s no question a population surge toward the end of the road is inevitable. When the prison is built, commerce will follow. As will more homes.

When the port becomes more active, the same will happen.

Both will provide good-paying jobs and those people will give up the drive to Anchorage and live where they work.

Bluff real estate with Inlet and Anchorage views will be prime properties.

With all that in the future, it’s no wonder the borough and school district are looking at that area for land to build a middle school and a high school.

In the not so distant future, Knik-Goose Bay will be the next Valley city. There will be council members to elect, ordinances to write and codes to enforce.

A small police force will be formed to keep the peace.

It’s the next likely spot for Three Bears to set up shop so residents down there don’t have to drive to Wasilla to shop.

Cafes will open up. Tire and repair shops. Gas stations and liquor stores. The kids will need a skate park. A medical clinic will tend to the injured and infirm.

Undoubtedly there will be a call to move the capital to Goose Bay, making it the most interestingly named state capital in the nation.

All this is to say, now is the time to begin planning how that city and area will grow.

We are witnessing the failures of planning ahead right here under our noses.

Some 30 years ago, nobody thought the dirt road between Palmer and Wasilla would become one of the heaviest traveled in the state.

Now, real estate on each side of it makes it almost impractical to widen to care for the traffic it carries. It’s no longer a highway, it’s a  high-speed street with an ever-growing number of traffic lights.

Subdivisions were built willy-nilly back in the day when planning was nonexistent.

The list of planning failures goes on.

With careful planning now, mistakes made in the core area decades ago can be averted before Knik-Goose Bay begins its emergence as the next Valley hub.

Comments

11 comment(s)

    Top favorite comments about living way out here wrote on Nov 1, 2009 5:53 PM:

    " 1-"We have a large icejam blocking the culvert. the spring is flooding our road" MSB- Crews are already busy they arent going to drop everything just for you.
    2-"a gravel pit just started operating at 4:30 this morning" MSBCode enf.- "Well you get what you pay for [in taxes]

    3- " a woman seems to be in distress, alone and not mentally capable, yelling and walking along KGB" State Trooper- " Do I have to drive all the way out there?"

    No services, no police, no respect....

    Yeah living "way out there" is great! "

    Vinni wrote on Nov 1, 2009 3:54 PM:

    " Economic Development; it's a double edged sword. Is this what bush AK wants? "

    offsoapstone wrote on Oct 26, 2009 1:36 PM:

    " I would suggest you folks down KGB get together and make some decisions before wasilla sucks you up and dry. I still remeber driving down Kink road to blacky's bar back in the days. "

    Concerned KGB Resident wrote on Oct 26, 2009 1:12 PM:

    " I can remember when no one ever came down KBG, everyone always said "it's to far to drive to town". Now everyone is wants to live on KGB, I can't stand it. We don't need a Three Bears or more stores. There is bumper o bumper traffic now everytime you go up Knik. Soon we won't be able to drive our four wheelers or snow machines down the trails.

    NO MORE STORES
    STAY IN TOWN- LEAVE KGB ALONE
    WE DON'T NEED THIS! "

    Good By City Life wrote on Oct 26, 2009 11:15 AM:

    " Thats the life for me -Ignoring general traffic rules and speed limits, strew garbage in the yard, meth-aholics and alcholics for neighbors, wrecked vehicals including the ones you can live in, keeping animals on a chain in subzero weather and chucking homemade grewl l at them, becaue you are going to be an Iditarod star one day, shoot them if you get too many. The real Alaska Knik-a-billy Acres. Sounds great Im there! "

    knik princess wrote on Oct 26, 2009 9:02 AM:

    " My family has lived out knik long before KGB was even a road it used to be a four wheeler trail i heard. And i remember as a child playing in the street because a car would never go by all day long.Now theres speeders, drunk drivers, commuters, and people stopping to look at the view. i don't like that KGB has become populated but there is nothing anyone can do about it. Like it or lump it i guess "

    we agree wrote on Oct 26, 2009 7:54 AM:

    " if we wanted city life we would have moved to a city! many of us started here in the 70's. we do not need your commercialism, paved roads, rules or covenants. let it be. you want thos things? go somehere that has them. typical californ-i-a attitudes. "

    Refuse to pave... wrote on Oct 25, 2009 1:42 PM:

    " Refuse to pave your streets, ban cars and there you have it...the ATV/snow machine capital of Alaska. Don't let anyone in who wants to form a Homeowners Association and I may decide to move there. This is Alaska, live like Alaskans. "

    No WAY wrote on Oct 25, 2009 1:28 PM:

    " "In the not so distant future, Knik-Goose Bay will be the next Valley city. There will be council members to elect, ordinances to write and codes to enforce."

    THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE DO NOT WANT!

    WE LIVE AWAY FROM THESE LIMITERS TO BE AWAY FROM THOSE EXACT THINGS.

    QUIT TRYING TO PROMOTE THIS ABSURD LIFESTYLE ON US.

    GO AWAY. "

    Knik Resident wrote on Oct 25, 2009 8:16 AM:

    " We have seen this coming for the 7 years we have lived here. There is a rich history in Knik and beautiful secret places to explore, hunt and fish. 4 years ago all you would hear late at night were sled dogs howling in unison and kids spinning 4 wheelers in intersections. Now there is constant traffic all hours of the day. Hopefully we invested wisely. Come on out. "

    palmeranian wrote on Oct 25, 2009 7:21 AM:

    " Who wrote this? FOMS? "

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