Borough approves port exemption — for now

PALMER — A controversial ordinance that would exempt industrially zoned land like that around Port MacKenzie from certain land-use rules has passed but is still in doubt.

The ordinance will allow industrial parcels — there are a few in the cities of Palmer and Wasilla, but most industrial land here is in Port MacKenzie — to be leased in part to parties without having to go through a full subdivision process.

Assemblyman Jim Colver succinctly summed up the controversy in the April 19 meeting at which the ordinance passed.

“It’s not fair, and I think that’s what we’re hearing here. It’s not fair to carve out an exception for the borough,” he said.

Big Lake-area land developer Butch Moore in an interview Saturday expanded on that. He said the subdivision code, Title 27, is putting a lot of people out of business.

“There’s a lot of land that I have that under 27 I can’t afford to develop,” he said.

The title requires surveying work and other things that, on a large parcel, can easily reach $50,000 in cost. But, Moore said, it’s not just people looking to make subdivisions who have trouble with Title 27. He said it’s difficult for even a guy who wants to divide a parcel in half and bequeath one piece each to his children.

Ewing agrees with Moore and Colver on that score.

But the other assemblymen saw it differently. Ron Arvin said the port changes are a good first step, since both Colver and Ewing have said they want to get started rewriting Title 27.

“I support this and I look forward to subsequent discussions about fixing 27,” Arvin said.

Assemblyman Noel Woods said he would like to see the port district grow and streamlining the lease process will help with that.

“We all know several serious economic activities that could have happened here in the borough and just get sandbagged. Let’s not let that happen with Port MacKenzie,” he said.

Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss said that what Ewing was proposing put that in jeopardy.

“It looks like what we’re setting out to do is hold Port MacKenzie hostage to Title 27,” DeVilbiss said.

In the end the exemption passed with Ewing and assemblyman Warren Keogh opposed.

Keogh said he is concerned the borough’s planning commission had recommended turning the exemption down.

Though the ordinance passed the assembly, assemblywoman Cindy Bettine later filed a motion to reconsider, which means it will be on Tuesday’s assembly agenda.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.