City council opens discussion regarding unused property in Palmer

PALMER — The Palmer City Council heard from City Manager Nathan Wallace about eight separate parcels of property owned by the city and what could possibly be done with them at Tuesday night’s regularly scheduled city council meeting.

The council also heard from Executive Director of the Alaska Farmland Trust Amy Pettit. Pettit informed the council that 316 acres in the Palmer area had been protected as farmland forever by the Alaska Farmland Trust just inside the Palmer area. While nationally, farmland is rapidly decreasing, Alaska saw a 30 percent increase in farm properties over the last five years.

“What is the city of Palmer willing to do to help us protect more agricultural lands?” asked Pettit.

The council moved to enter the committee on the whole, allowing the council to discuss freely and ask questions of Wallace concerning the three properties with utility easements and the five vacant properties the city owns. Many of these properties are not feasible to be sold as homes or businesses and sit idle, but Wallace detailed each one and how the city could potentially utilize the lands. The city of Palmer owns approximately one acre across three lots on South Ronda Way and South Chugach street that already have utility easements. At nearly a third of an acre apiece, these strips are likely not usable for a house but Wallace suggested conversion into a green space for the city that would be low maintenance and provide beautification for the surrounding area.

“Are there advantages for the city working with the Alaska Farmland Trust for some of these lands?” asked Councilwoman Jill Valerius.

While very few parcels of land provide enough space for farming, the Palmer soil is the richest in the state and among the richest agricultural soils found in the nation. Speaking publicly for the first time in over a year since he stepped down as the Director of the Division of Agriculture, Arthur Keyes promoted the idea of selling city lands to the Alaska Farmland Trust to be protected in perpetuity.

“As the Director of Agriculture, being from Palmer I frequently said the heart of agriculture in Alaska is Palmer. The richest agriculture soils are here in Palmer. Your lands that are going to be being discussed, understand those are the richest ag soils in the state of Alaska. They are vitally important and they can be sustainably farmed,” said Keyes.

Keyes was appointed under Governor Bill Walker and stepped down one year ago from his position. As a local farmer, Keyes has developed his own definition of sustainable, saying that to be sustainable a farm must be local, good for the consumer, farmer, community and must be profitable. While many of the city’s parcels are undesirable for various reasons, few are plotted on barren soil. However, the largest plot presented by Wallace is not conducive to growing crops. The 12.65 acre plot on the South Glenn Highway owned by the city of Palmer is outside city limits but had been used residentially. The land was stripped of soil and replaced with only a few inches of dirt to grow grass, prohibiting the property from being used for produce as currently constituted. During the committee on the whole, Wallace pontificated about the perils of Anchorage and the lack of space, often hearing rumors of state offices that are considering moving out of Juneau or Anchorage and into Palmer. Mayor Edna DeVries discussed the site known as the “Church Property” as a potential site for a fire service station. The most desirable plot for agriculture is the 5.2 acre tract D on Outer Springer Loop. The public zoned piece of property is appraised at $148,300 value and sits next to the Juvenile Detention Center.

“If the city decides to just put that tin the trust, it could remain a hayfield, probably not the best use, even long term not the best use for that five acres,” said Wallace. “In my mind it’s not the best use of that particular piece of property.”

While the city is not currently in the agriculture business, it does lease the airport property to be maintained for hay and cut once a year to keep down the fire hazard. Councilman Richard Best asked about the possibility of leasing properties to be farmed while they sit idly unpurchased. A pair of half-acre city owned plots adjacent to Mat-Su Pretrial are also available, but likely unsuitable for any development. However, Wallace suggested that additional parking spaces in those areas would serve the community while using the space. Councilwoman Sabrena Combs suggested that one of the spaces be converted to a dog park.