Assembly Report for July 12, 2005

TEMPORARY REPRIEVE FOR CALL OF THE WILD: A crowded agenda forced the Assembly to postpone imposition of operating restrictions on the Call of the Wild bar after noise and security complaints by neighbors. Sound barriers, noise testing, additonal security personnel, and security cameras will be considered on July 26, 2005.

EMINENT DOMAIN RULING CONDEMNED: The Assembly passed AO 2005-86 (Tesche and Shamberg) which forbids the city from using a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling to condem private property to benefit new private development projects.

SPORTS DOME REZONING OK'ED WITH ADMINISTRATIVE SITE PLAN REVIEW The Assembly unaminously approved heavy industrial zoning of 33 acres at Raspberry Road and Rovenna Street requested by the new owners (a church) of the empty Alaska Seafood Plant. The church wants to use part of the land to build a domed indoor sports facility several times larger than the "golf dome" in South Anchorage. The assembly eliminated required public site plan review of the project, leaving that task to administrative staff in order to allow the project to proceed quickly.

ACTION ON NEW BICYCLE SAFETY LAW DELAYED: Janice Shamberg’s proposal to require bicycle helmets for minors stalled amidst a crowded agenda and is postponed until July 26, 2005. Her Bicycle Safety Law would also repeal bicycle registration requirements, impose new standards of parental responsibility, and apply traffic laws to bicyclists.

MOUNTAIN VIEW SHOPPING CENTER: An ordinance transferring 25 acres of city property in Mountain View to the new Anchorage Community Development Authority was heard and passed after a public hearing. Transfer of the property starts a development process which could bring a regional shopping center to the corner of Bragaw St and the Glenn Highway. Only Chris Birch voted against the new commercial development.

NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING ORDINANCE STALLS: the Assembly postponed until August 9, 2005 action on AO 2005-73 which sets criteria and a process for adoption of neighborhood plans. New neighborhood plans are under consideration for the Hillside, West Anchorage, Mountain View, Fairview, and Government HIll.

NEW SENIOR HOUSING APPROVED: Members approved transfer of 7.25 acres of Heritage Land Bank property for construction of 20 new low income housing units by the Chugiak Senior Center. The property is worth between $155,000-172,900 and will be conveyed to the Center for $1.00 per year. For Eagle River seniors needing affordable housing, Anna Fairclough justified the sole source, below market conveyence of municipal lands.

ASSEMBLY DELAY IMPERILS SOURCE OF TAX EXEMPT BONDS FOR ML&P. At Debbie Ossiander's urging, the Assembly postponed AR 2005-166 which would allow ML&P to participate in a "joint action agency" of other railbelt utilities to build future generation and transmission facilities. Golden Valley Electric warned members that the delay may deny ML&P an additonal source of tax exempt financing for utility projects. Voting with Ossiander to postpone action were Fairclough, Bauer, Birch, Sullivan, and Stout.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT: The Assembly approved Dan Coffey's proposal (AO 2005-26), to relax current charter provisions which limit parking and traffic enforcement to sworn APD personnel. Subject to passage of a charter amendment in April, 2006 election, Coffey's ordinance would allow the Chief of Police to "designate" municipal employees empowered to issue non moving vehicle citations. Dan Sullivan has already commented on the new revenue the city can gain through stricter parking enforcement. Will Coffey's proposal bring back the parking fairies? (remember their tutus and three wheeled scooters?) Plugging downtown meters with their own pocket change, the fairies led a popular uprising in the 90's against the Parking Authority and won passage of a charter amendment banning photo radar and restricting parking enforcement in Anchorage.>