Plotting a course

Palmer maps out its future

October 30, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK\Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - People are slowly, relentlessly squeezing inside the 3.8 square miles traced around by Palmer's city limits, pulling businesses, squabbles over the use of increasingly scarce land and traffic congestion in with them.

What's a city to do?

Residents and city officials decided to plan ahead, designing a comprehensive plan that addresses potential land-use conflicts, envisions transportation routes and lays down a foundation for economic growth, said Tony Pippel, a member of the Palmer City Council.

About 75 people showed up Saturday to discuss the plan's draft during a community planning session at the Palmer Depot.

&#8220We're trying to accommodate growth, provide opportunities for growth and manage the public sector's needs for water and sewer,” Pippel said Saturday, adding that state law requires cities to complete a comprehensive plan every five or six years. &#8220There's a trade-off between private enterprise and government regulations. We're heading toward more defined community values in [the city's] architecture and land use, and that's reflected in the plan.”

Palmer's population jumped 36 percent in four years, according to the www.city-data.com Web site, swelling from 4,533 in 2000 to 6,163 by July 2004. Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development statistics state that Palmer had 4,533 people in 2000, 4,581 in 2001, 4,840 in 2002, 5,267 in 2003 and 5,197 in 2004.

Palmer residents who attended Saturday's meeting split into groups that handled land use, parks, recreation and culture, transportation, economic vitality, public services, facilities and infrastructure.

&#8220This is awesome. This is cool. Palmer has planning powers. I like the whole idea of connectivity and mixed uses,” said Kathy Wells of Friends of Mat-Su.

People talked about connecting sidewalks and roads that would support a larger community, and about future trails that would lure recreationists into the city.

Jessie DeVries, who uses a wheelchair, favored better-maintained sidewalks that are more level with merchants' front doors.

The plan calls for roads that run perpendicular to highways, rather than frontage roads, Palmer city planner Sara Jansen said. Perpendicular roads will provide more area for commercial growth while the intersections will provide room for landscaping that isn't available with frontage roads, Jansen said.

Wells suggested forming a committee to bring to Palmer businesses that aren't available in the Valley, making the city a destination spot for shopping.

The plan stresses the importance of keeping established entities like the public library, police station, Alaska State Troopers post, courthouse, banks and credit unions within city limits.

Those facilities contribute to the economic vitality of the area, Pippel said.

&#8220We could invite some of Mat-Su College's facilities into our town,” Pippel said.

Copies of the plan draft are available at Palmer City Hall.

The plan will go before the Palmer planning commission in coming months before being brought before the city council for approval, Pippel said. The plan serves as a guideline, rather than setting dictates in stone, he added.

Chris Beck, co-owner of Agnew-Beck Consulting, the firm hired by Palmer, said residents need to discover ways to keep those institutions interested in staying, and offer incentives.

&#8220This is the initial step to express to the world the principles that Palmer wants to keep,” Beck said.