Assembly Report for January 9, 2007

4th AVE. THEATRE REDUX: ASSEMBLY CONSIDERS NEW PRIVATE SECTOR PLAN TO SAVE A DOWNTOWN LANDMARK: Begich administration officials announced recently they are putting the finishing touches on a private sector deal that will save the historic 4th Ave. Theatre from demolition and allow the downtown landmark to be used for meetings, banquets and public performances. A collection of private sector organizations including the Rasmuson Foundation, Wells Fargo Bank, current theatre owner Robert Gottstein, the Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association, the Anchorage Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, and Seattle Northeast Securities will handle the $5.4 M deal along with a newly created 4th Avenue Theater LLC.

Introduced at Tuesday night’s meeting was a resolution appropriating $250,000 of state grant funds previously invested by Anchorage Historic Properties, for a limited municipal contribution to the project. Funding for the deal will come in the form of a $2.6M loan from the Rasmuson Foundation, a $600,000 cash contribution from Gottstein, $250,000 in state historic preservation grant funds previously awarded to the municipality, and a combination of historic tax credits valued at $1.95M. The theatre will cost $3.4M and an additional $1.75 will be spent for building renovations along with $250,000 in development fees. The mayor also introduced on Tuesday an ordinance authorizing a purchase and sale agreement for the theatre and assignment of the agreement to a single purpose (private) entity. Both items will be decided after public hearings scheduled for January 23, 2007.

The theater will be managed privately by the Anchorage Convention and Visitors’ Bureau for conferences and evening functions held in connection with events at the new Convention and Civic and Convention Center. Municipal officials emphasize that the business plan for the theatre will generate sufficient cash flow to cover loan payments and operating costs without taxpayer contributions.

While reminiscing about their high school days in the old theatre, Assembly conservatives Dan Sullivan and Dan Coffey are expected to continue grilling Mayor Begich on January 23rd about details of the transaction, repeating claims of a lesser radio talk show host that city government should not attempt to preserve Anchorage’s best known historic landmark.

ASSEMBLY TINKERS WITH OFF STREET PARKING REQUIREMENTS: What started out as a simple dispute between neighbors and a local watering hole over parking and location of an old railway car in front of the bar resulted in passage of a new ordinance changing off street parking regulations for Anchorage businesses on Tuesday night. Complaints from neighbors about parking from patrons of Al Choy’s Alaskan Inn on the Old Seward Highway and the location of a used 84' railway car at the bar’s entrance brought city zoning officials, two midtown Assembly members and the Planning and Zoning Commission into the fray. When the dust settled, the Assembly passed AO 2006-87(S)(1) Tuesday night which modifies current zoning laws governing off street parking requirements for retail businesses, including bars and restaurants. The ordinance imposes additional standards on joint parking agreements, prohibits location of parking separated by major arterial, and has the effect of reducing surface parking requirements imposed on businesses.

Curiously, the ordinance does not completely resolve all of the zoning issues of the railroad car at Al’s Alaskan Inn and its neighbors. According to planning director Tom Nelson, a number of issues include the application of parking standards to the bar, the location of the car itself, the car’s intended use, remain unresolved at this time and even with passage of the ordinance may still require Al’s to move the rail car or acquire additional parking spaces for that use.

ASSEMBLY APPOINTS EAGLE RIVER BUSINESSMAN TO REPLACE DEPARTING ANNA FAIRCLOUGH : Bill Starr, an Eagle River businessman and current president of the Eagle River Valley Community Council was chosen from among 10 candidates to represent Eagle River-Chugiak on the Assembly until the April, 2007 election. The vacancy was created by the election of Anna Fairclough to the Alaska Legislature last year. Starr is 45 years old and is in his third consecutive term as president of his community council and served for two years on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Other local activities include service as Alpenglow’s general manager between 1995-6, a legislative liaison for the new Eagle River High School. He is owner of a development LLC handling aircraft hanger projects at the Birchwood Airport and ran an air tour company outside as well as a trucking operation.

Starr is a licensed airline transport pilot and holds a BS from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He is married and has three children. He is able to work full time on Assembly business..
Starr will represent Eagle River-Chugiak until the April 2007 general election at which time Eagle River residents will elect an assembly member to complete the last year of Fairclogh’s tem which expires one year later.

FIRST TITLE 21 (LAND USE PLANNING) CHAPTERS HEARD BY ASSEMBLY: Several years in the making, Title 21 finally reached the Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday night. The Assembly took public testimony on AO 2006-172 which would enact several of the non controversial chapters of the revised land use title. The public hearing has been continued until January 23, 2007 and final action anticipated in February pending receipt of written recommendations from the Planning and Zoning Commission.

The ordinance before the Assembly on Tuesday includes chapter 21.01 General Provisions; chapter 21.02 Boards, Commissions, and Municipal Administration; chapter 21.08 Subdivision Standards; and chapter 21.13 of the new title relating to enforcement. According to the Administration’s memo to assembly members, passage of these four chapters of Title 21 will have "little to no" effect on economic changes brought about through the revised code. The Assembly will receive later this year the more controversial portions of Title 21 including chapters revising specific zoning districts, use regulations, dimensional standards and measurements, development and design standards, non conformities ("grandfather" rights) and definitions.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION GOES TO WORK: An ordinance unanimously approved by the Assembly on Tuesday night re establishes a historic preservation commission in Anchorage. AO 2006-175 creates a eleven person Historic Preservation Commission whose members are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Assembly from Anchorage knowledgeable about local history, architecture, historic preservation, archeology and Alaska native culture and history. The commission will inventory of historic resources in Anchorage, prepare a Historic Preservation Plan for Anchorage, consider and propose to the Assembly standards and procedures for identification of historic resources and to make recommendations to the Assembly and Planning and Zoning Commission for historic preservation planning and programs. The new commission with assume many of the duties previously handled by the board of Anchorage Historic Properties Inc.