Resolution to rezone fails

WASILLA — The Wasilla City Council unanimously failed a resolution to rezone 2.1 acres on the corner of Knik-Goose Bay Road and Fern Street in Wasilla from rural residential to commercial. The council also voted to return sales tax levels below three percent down to 2.5 percent, a half percent higher than they had been before raising sales taxes to fund the new Wasilla Police Department building.

“I would just hope in the future If we’re going to forward fund something that any permanent tax increase is separated from the actual ordinance that was put in place. I just thought it was a little disingenuous at the time,” Councilman Tim Burney said.

Wasilla residents voted to impose an extra percent added onto the sales taxes collected in the city for the collection of $12 million to fund the construction of the new police department. Following the collection of the necessary amount, Wasilla will now collect a 2.5 percent sales tax. The motion on Ordinance 19-28 to return to 2.5 percent sales tax passed unanimously. The council heard from Wasilla City Planner regarding the rezoning of a property on the corner of Knik-Goose Bay and Fern Street. While a 1.6 acre portion of the property on the north side is zoned as commercial, the south 7.38 acres are zoned rural residential. A half dozen members of the community testified during public comment to voice their concern over the rezoning of the property.

“Allowing them to rezone the residential land down Fern Street will without a doubt have much more of a negative impact than a positive one,” Melody Fletcher said.

Crawford laid out to the council that the planning commission does not have the power to rezone property, only the city council does. The property fits all the criteria for the rezone, but residents were concerned with already increased traffic on Fern Street becoming dangerous. “Not knowing what’s going in there is unsettling,” Steve Boltz said. “It negates the whole reason why we moved out here.”

Council members discussed the merits of adding traffic onto Fern, which has become a collector street for travelers around Wasilla and remains without a wide shoulder. A handful of subdivisions and school bus stops are also located along Fern Street. What remained on the minds of members of the council and the concerned public alike was the fate of the property. Without direction from the owner as to what they were planning to do with the property once rezoned, neighbors were left to worry.

“They have not discussed any plans with me as to what they want to do with the property just rezone it,” Crawford said. “it seemed the logical expansion to provide more commercial that’s close to the city.”

Councilman Burney stated that he was a resident of the neighborhood prior to the discussion of the ordinance, allowing for the possibility of a conflict of interest, which was not found. Furthermore, Burney’s wife also spoke in opposition of the ordinance, stating that she hoped any council members who voted for the ordinance went without whipped cream on their pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.

“The elephant in the room is the unknown. We don’t know what they’re going to do with it,” Councilwoman Glenda Ledford said.

Despite the recommendation of the planning commission, the vote to rezone the portion of property failed unanimously.

“I just think it’s disingenuous to move that forward changing that from rural residential to commercial,” Burney said. “ just think this is the wrong place, it’s the wrong neighborhood and it’s the wrong time to do this on that corner.”