Palmer's annexation procedures block reclamation project

Spectrum, by Joe Lawton

Everyone knows that Palmer is growing rapidly south on the Springer System. The remaining dairy farm closed last summer; hayfields are giving way to development. This process already underway is inevitable, and includes recent city annexations.

The Alaska State Fair is alert to the pitfalls of fairs that become surrounded by urban development while they're not paying attention. Two years ago we dug deep to purchase the remaining 80 acres of the Rebarchek colony farm. That parcel included a 40-year-old gravel pit that helped construct many local roads. The state fair continued to mine the gravel for grounds projects while examining long-term options for the gaping hole. The state fair's goal when it acquired the pit was to reclaim it for beneficial use.

Several proposals that look good in concept fail badly in economics. Clearly the best choice for the fair and the community is to reclaim the pit and return the land to productive use. While it is now a growing liability, it has obvious potential for the public need for green space. Reclaiming the pit is not without challenges, but a business partner was found who will fence and screen the pit from view, and reclaim it by filling the hole with inert construction debris. The negotiated arrangement calls for the partner to purchase the southwest 40 acres of the Hamilton Farm (that section used by large flocks of migrating geese in the spring) and exchange it to the fair for the 40 acres containing the gravel pit. Once the pit is reclaimed the fair has first option to repurchase the former pit property. Following this plan the fair ultimately will secure two key 40-acre parcels in the only area it can still grow -- south and east along Inner Springer Road.

The success of this plan will serve the interests of the fair and Palmer. Many fair visitors gain their first impression of Palmer through their approach and stay on the fairgrounds. The favorable impressions gained by tens of thousand of Alaskans are a significant reason many choose the Valley for homes and recreation. Besides the scenic value, retaining surplus land as a buffer adjacent to the fairgrounds will preserve open space for needed soccer fields, dog training, event parking, and the burgeoning uses that now compete for shrinking space around Palmer. The fair anticipated the developing crisis for open fields, and began an accelerated program of leveling its hay fields that adjoin Inner Springer Loop Road at the end of the 2002 fair. About five acres were leveled last summer.

The main obstacle to the gravel pit reclamation lies with the city of Palmer's procedures. This parcel is part of the city's first wave of aggressive annexations that began with inadequate preparation for transitions. While city policies recommend that existing uses be grandfathered for annexed parcels, the city plans and ordinances never contemplated land reclamation. So even though the reclamation company holds solid references from the Municipality of Anchorage, the Alaska Railroad, Army and Air Force engineers on Fort Richardson and Elmendorf, and many major private corporations, Palmer currently lacks clear guidelines to consider their qualifications. The opportunity to solve this is short-lived. As the city marches south through the Springer System and west towards Four Corners many more annexations will confront existing uses that weren't conceived in Palmer's compact boundaries developed in the 1930s and 1940s. Clearly, the city must quickly seize this opportunity and acknowledge the legal rights of other property owners subject to annexation.

The city must demonstrate that being a Palmer resident does not come with burdens that stifle industry, trample established livelihood, and ignore creative solutions. The recent vote of the Planning and Zoning Commission rejecting the fair's reclamation project does not serve the public benefit, fails to remove liability, and thwarts one of the largest economic engines in Palmer. This is not a wise decision for the larger community interests, and leads one to question whose interests are being served. The better choice -- the wiser plan -- is for the city to work with the fair and their partners to craft a creative reclamation project for the Rebarchek Pit that will cure an open sore, create jobs, and further the long terms plans of a proven good citizen to Palmer -- the Alaska State Fair.

Joe Lawton is the general manager of the Alaska State Fair. He served one term on the Palmer Planning and Zoning Commission, and three terms on Palmer City Council.