Wasilla City council allows day care capacity to exceed cap of 25

WASILLA — At its regular Monday evening meeting, and following a public hearing, Wasilla City Council members approved a provisional amendment increasing day care enrollment caps for city parcels zoned rural residential. The issue will receive further action at a scheduled Wasilla City Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m.

Charles and Laurel Morris, owners of a lot located at 124 W. Spruce Avenue in the Adventure Estates Subdivision, are seeking to exceed the current 25-child limitation. Current zoning law notes that the 25 individual cap prohibits “…negative impacts to low-density residential neighborhoods from additional noise and traffic generated by large-scale day-care businesses. Restricting the number of children will help keep the impacts at a more compatible neighborhood scale…”

Because the city currently allows a mix of residential and commercial use up to 10,000 square feet in the area, a majority of the council agreed to proceed with a conditional use proposal to allow for the Morris’s request and place the rezoning request before the public. The revision includes the following caveats—a total lot size of at least 40,000 square feet, frontage and direct access to a commercial street, doesn’t share a lot line with a rural residential lot, and that any play area must be adequately screen and buffered from adjacent residential property.

All affected adjacent landowners will receive mailed notification of the proposed changes.

The motion passed on a 5-1 vote with Councilman James Harvey opposed.

Council members also adopted the consent agenda for its Sept. 26 regular meeting. On the docket are a number of proposed ordinance changes, most related to budget amendments. Ordinance 16-25 amends the city zoning map to change approximately nine acres—south of KGB Road and the south side of East Palmer-Wasilla highway from commercial-rural residential to commercial.

Ordinances 16-25 through 16-29 call for budget amendments for various city projects. Ordinance 16-26 will take $10,000 from the general fund for cemetery markers; 16-27 utilizes $18,000 from the general fund for tunnel lighting at Newcomb Park; 16-28 earmarks $6,000 from the city’s capital funds project and redirecting $35,000 of appropriated CIP funding for computer software supporting the city clerk office and city finance department; 16-29 would appropriate $10,000 for Wasilla’s New City Shop.

In his report to the council, Wasilla Mayor Bert Cottle said he planned on calling for a closed session at the same meeting to discuss Meta Rose Square. The approximately 21,000 square foot building off adjacent to Carr’s off the Glenn Highway is listed on the market for $1.5 million. Councilwoman Colleen Sullivan-Leonard said she was aware of one offer. Cottle said he was aware of a second offer.

He also informed the council that the city’s new equipment used for cutting lake weeds is getting a lot of positive feedback from both lake users and residents. Cottle said to date, 13 dump truck loads of weeds have been pulled and will be stored over the winter. He said the compost could be sold as fertilizer for next summer’s growing season.

The mayor reminded those in attendance of three upcoming events he felt were noteworthy. Today, at 2 p.m., the city will hold a ribbon-cutting for the new bulk water station located at 550 North Weber Drive. Thursday, Sept. 22 is the new Wasilla Public Library ribbon-cutting.

Wednesday, Sept. 28, Wasilla will officially open Cottonwood Creek Park with a 2 p.m. ceremony. Cottle said it will include a large parking area, and a 10-acre creek walk. The mayor said to date a guardrails and a bridge have been installed.