Subdivision plan rejected

September 6, 2005

MARY AMES/Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - A proposed subdivision that would have included nearly 200 units on less than 60 acres west of Lucille Street would violate the city of Wasilla's land-density requirements, according to a letter sent out Friday by the Mat-Su Borough's attorney.

In a letter addressed to the developer's lawyer, attorney Teresa Williams stated that one house on a 20,000-square-foot lot or one duplex on a 20,000-square-foot lot connected to city water and sewer, are the minimum allowed.

An acre encompasses 43,560 square feet. Shadowood lots ranged in size from 7,200 to 10,000 square feet in the proposed development originally approved by the borough platting board, which would have been situated north of Graybark Drive, with its eastern boundary extending north almost to Vincent Circle and its western boundary extending parallel to W. Holiday Drive.

"The platting board didn't realize they were doing a bad thing," said Dianne Woodruff, a homeowner in the area. "They should be able to rely on the information given them. In this case, we've asked city planning to be superhuman. This is a two-person office and it's the channel for all approvals. At least the rules have been clarified so other developers know what they are. People are on notice that Wasilla is not the wild, wild West."

Homeowners in the contested area are prepared to remain involved in the development. Karl and Joyce Lund circulated their copy of Williams' decision over the weekend, Wendy Becker and others put up fliers Monday for the meeting tonight at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Dianne Woodruff discussed the good and the bad that came out of their activism over the past several weeks.

"We know we're not done yet," Woodruff said. "What else can we do to make this the best subdivision we can? I'm grateful we've gotten as far as we have. We've had to look out for ourselves even though the law was already in place. It's not doing the developer any good either. I don't want this to happen to anyone else."

When Ken Duffus, developer of Shadowood, heard from a reporter Monday that Williams issued her decision on lot size requirements, it was news to him. But, he said, he has received most information about his proposed development indirectly, from third parties.

"It sounds like we got a position instead of an opinion," Duffus said. "They just went along with the city.

"It's unfortunate. It's not in the city's best interest. In order to have infrastructure improvements, you have to have a certain population density. Most municipalities point to that when they start on improvements. We want low density, so we raise taxes and people migrate to just outside the city limits. It's a constant battle, 'I got mine, now you can't get yours.'"

The most recent decision by the borough attorney will not put Duffus out of the picture.

"We can work within those boundaries," he said.

In a letter protesting the platting board's approval of Shadowood, Woodruff wrote, "One of the things that makes a neighborhood different from an overnight warehouse for people is the availability of large yards, parks or other places for children to play and neighbors to gather and get to know each other. I note no parks and no mention of buffer zones or other green space within this development or surrounding it … I am very concerned about the safety of the neighbors as they walk, bike, Roller-blade and skateboard to the Iditapark."

Duffus said after Thursday's platting board meeting that those concerns are problems he might be able to solve. What he is looking for, he said, is a concise list of things that he has to do, referring to the disparity between the codes of the city of Wasilla and the borough. As far as the things that the neighbors want him to do, he said some are easily fixed, even if no official bodies can make those requirements.

"We may find I can solve most of the problems; I have the resources to do so," he said. "If someone says they are concerned about the sight distance at an intersection, or the way children have to cross a street, I can deal with that. When someone says, 'I don't want more development,' then I can't do anything about that. The real problem is you don't want the density, but you want the services. If you want the amenities, you have to increase the tax base or raise the rates."

When asked how much money he is losing as the development is delayed, Duffus shrugged and said about $500 a day.

According to Woodruff, the daytime meetings of the borough platting and city planning boards have had a negative effect on people's ability to attend the meetings. She knows some folks don't go to the meetings because they can't afford to take the time off work.

"But the silver lining is that we've all become better neighbors because of this. We talk all the time now and we keep each other informed," she said.

There will be a meeting of neighbors concerned with the Shadowood development at 7 p.m. today at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, according to Woodruff. The plan is to have everyone list their concerns with the development, compile those lists and come up with a community consensus on the three most important. The next step will be to elect some neighbors to bring those issues to Duffus and discuss how best to remedy the most serious issues.

Both the borough and the city of Wasilla are in the process of rewriting their Title 16 codes, which address the issue of allowed housing density. The borough's work session will be on Thursday in the assembly chambers, beginning at 8:30 a.m., according to the borough's Web site. Wasilla's planning commission will hear a draft revision of the city's code on Sept. 13, according to Woodruff, although no meeting is mentioned on the city Web site.

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.