Houston land-swap OK'd

April 23, 2006

By DARRELL L. BREESE

Frontiersman

PALMER - A rezone request from the City of Houston was approved by the Mat-Su Borough Assembly Tuesday, allowing Houston officials to move ahead with a proposed land trade with developer Northland Builders, who in turn will construct a new city hall, remodel the existing city hall, and bring natural gas lines to the Cheri Lake area.

In a unanimous vote, the assembly approved the rezoning of 138 acres, located at 12796 W. Cheri Lake Drive from a Public Lands and Institutions district to a single-family and two-family residential district. Located just east of the Parks Highway and the Alaska Railroad, the parcel is owned by the City of Houston.

&#8220We are requesting this rezone in order to have consistent zoning with the surrounding residential districts in the area,” Houston Mayor Dale Adams said. &#8220This is a win-win for everyone involved.”

According to Adams, the city will gain much-needed office space, the neighbors will have access to natural gas, and the developer will get some prime real estate.

The rezoned parcel surrounds Loon Lake, and nearly 50 acres are considered wetlands and unusable for development. Before giving final approval of the zoning change, the borough planning commission and assembly required the City of Houston and the developer to enter into a signed memorandum of agreement which provides protection for the wetlands and green space around the lake.

The agreement will place at least 50 acres of unused wetlands into the care of a non-profit conservation organization, such as Ducks Unlimited. If a suitable group can't be found, the land will revert back to the City of Houston and to a PLI zoning district.

&#8220I appreciate the effort that has been taken to ensure the preservation of the wetlands,” assembly member Betty Vehrs said. &#8220I hope that the city will be able to find a conservation group to manage the land.”

Houston City Council member Link Fannon looked at the long-term advantages of rezoning and future development.

&#8220Fifteen to 20 years down the road, I see Houston being a bedroom community for Wasilla,” Fannon said. &#8220This development will fit nicely into that vision and also provide new homes on the tax roll for the city and borough.”

According to Adams, the exchange of land will take place once a contract is negotiated, and work on the new City Hall will begin as soon as possible after that.

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@frontiersman.com.