Proposed Seaplane Base in Meadow Lakes stirs community

During a regularly scheduled meeting of the Meadow Lakes Community Council, conversation and comments centered around a proposed private 31-slip seaplane base to be built on Island Lake in Meadow Lakes.

The project is being proposed by Sterling Cook, who told residents on Wednesday that he wants to build the floatplane base to provide a lower cost alternative to people who cannot find affordable spaces to house their floatplanes.

“I planned to put some float slips in for people like me, who got hooked on aviation, bought a float plane and couldn’t find a place to park,” Cook said, adding that most places that had slips were backlogged 7-15 years. As he searched for property that would enable him to house his floatplane, he says he met others in similar situations, and decided there was an opportunity to provide a place to house several floatplanes.

For this particular project, approval falls with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), not with the Mat-Su Borough or the State of Alaska, and refers to the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Section 10, which covers:

“Any work affecting the course, condition, location, or capacity of the navigable waterbody.” This includes dredging, structures and/or work, and excavation.

“The corps alone is responsible for reaching a decision on the merits of the application.”

In the Public Notice of Application for Permit from the USACE, issued on December 15, 2023, the proposed work for the 31 floatplane slips, each measuring 25’ wide by 30’ long deep. Each slip would be connected to Island Lake through three 75-foot wide access channels and one 150-foot wide channel.

Additionally, in order to maintain water flows in the Meadow Creek, Cook will need to reroute a section of the creek through his proposed seaplane base, along with a culvert under an existing runway.

Residents voiced concerns that the seaplane base would create unnecessary noise, could harm the wetlands, and the coho salmon that can be found in the Little Meadow Creek up to a nearby culvert 550 feet downstream from the project site.

Cook said that from the beginning of his search for property for the seaplane base, he learned quickly that he would need to start with the USACE and other departments that govern the waterways in Alaska while searching for a property that would suit his needs.

“I followed some of their guidelines for a lake that wasn’t full of fish, full of salmon, all those kinds of things. And wouldn’t impact any of the waterways.” Cook told the attendees that the property at Island Lake also had an airstrip registered with the FAA.

“It fit the bill for building a seaplane base, where I could have some people from the community park their airplane at a decent price, but don’t have to buy a lakefront house to do so.”

Estrella Campellone, Project Manager for the USACE, gave a Regulatory Program Overview to the attendees, telling residents that the USACE also abides by the Clean Water Act, Section 404 when conducting an evaluation, as well as consulting with the Alaska Native tribes, the Alaska Department of Environment Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, State Historic Preservation Officer, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, as well as the Mat Su Borough.

Campellone further explained that the type of permit being considered for this project is a standard individual permit, which require an environmental assessment and full public interest review. She added that the individual permit is applicable in this case as they are used for large or controversial projects, or for projects with a footprint more than a half-acre of impact to the water.

“One of the advantages of the individual permit is once we issue a permit, the applicant can come back and request a modification, which doesn’t happen with a nationwide permit.”

An integral part of the evaluation process for the USACE is the public interest review piece, and Campellone listed many of the factors they review when determining whether to issue a permit or not, including economics, navigation, safety, energy needs, flood hazards, floodplains, aesthetics, and general environmental concerns, to name a few.

There are other areas of impact that the USACE examines, such as potential impacts to the aquatic ecosystems, potential effects on humans, evaluation and testing of dredged materials, and actions to minimize adverse effects.

Residents voiced concerns over what they said was a lack of notice about the project, and some voiced concerns about the methods of notification from the USACE, with some saying they never received a letter and had only heard about the project and the meeting days ago via word of mouth from neighbors.

Public notice is required within 15 days from receipt of complete application, and as Campellone explained, the process is far from over.

“When we put the public notice out, we are still gathering information. We are not ready by any means to make a decision.”

The processing time for the individual permit is 120 days, although Campellone said it could be longer if a project is deemed complex or controversial.

For its part, the MSB Planning and Land Use Director, Alex Strawn, submitted a statement regarding the proposed floatplane base.

“Regarding the proposed private seaplane base on the south side of Island Lake, after a thorough review of the proposed development plans, I have concluded that the development of this private seaplane base does not require any permits from the Borough. This conclusion is based on current zoning regulations and land use policies applicable to the area.”

MLCC President Camden Yehle during the meeting, suggested that there are other routes residents can consider if they are unhappy with the project, though it is a private development on a private property.

“Conditional use permits are not required for seaplane bases at this time,” said, and suggested that if residents were interested in adding seaplane bases to the items requiring that type of permit, it would need to go through the MSB via the Borough-wide Comprehensive Plan Updates, which is currently being looked at now.

President Yehle also told residents that the most recent Lake Management Pan for Island and Doubloon Lakes, adopted back in August of 1996, doesn’t mention airplanes or seaplanes, and suggested updating the plan to include guidance on aircraft.

She also said that residents have the right to request an official formal public hearing from the USACE, and after offering suggestions, acknowledged the complexity of this proposal.

“We don’t want to be told what to do, but when our neighbors do it, then it gets complicated. This does have a bigger reach than just this one property.”

Because of the public interest in Meadow Lakes, the USACE has extended the public comment period until January 31, and residents have until then to submit public comment.

“Once we receive comments from the public, we have to consider all of the comments received, we need to determine the mitigation and the environmental assessment, and then we make a decision whether we are going to issue or deny a permit.”

For more information, visit the Meadow Lakes Community Council Facebook page.