♪ ♪ ♪ >> Okay, >> we will call the April 20th Planning Zoning Commission to order. They please have the roll call. >> Andres been any here. Jerry Gardner Christian, a here, Scott here, Jeff Iran. Randy Weber. Of Here, Megan males here. >> If key here now, the thanks. >> First. >> We will have disclosures to any other commissioners have disclosures. >> Here and seeing none. Well move on to the public hearing. And I read the procedure by which the public meetings to the commission. After staff presentation is completed on public hearing items. The chair will ask for public testimony on the issue. Persons who wish to testify will follow the time limits established in commission rules of procedure. Petitioners, including his or her representatives, will receive 10 minutes. Part of this time may be reserved for rebuttal representatives of groups PTA is community councils to considerable receive 5 minutes individuals. 3 minutes. When your testimony is complete, you may be asked questions by the commission. You may only testify want on any issue unless question by the commission. Any party of interest wishing to appeal show first filed with the planning director within 7 days of the commission's decision made on the record, a written notice of intent to appeal in accordance with AMC. 21. 0, 3, 0, 5, commission recommendations to the Anchorage Assembly are not appealable following approval of the written finding of fact and decision any party of interest me within 20 days file an appeal by filing a notice of appeal and paying the appeal fee and deposit it in accordance with 21. 0, 3, 0, 5, 0, the notice of appeal must be filed with the planning director on the prescribed by the municipality that the appellant is not the applicant. The appellants Notice of Appeal show include proof of service on the applicants. May we please have staff presentation and case 2026? Dash 0, 0, 4, 8, Thank you, Mr. Chaired the property owners seeking approval of the conditional use for a new governmental service. >> And the Girdwood Airport GA Zoning district. There's a pending rezoning this property to GA for introduction at the Assembly on April 14th. There's also associate title. 21 text amendment. To the intent language of the GA District for induction at the Assembly in April 14th, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of this rezoning and of the title it title. 21 text amendment that updates location requirements in the intent of the GA District. The governmental service conditional use will be approximately 1.2 acres to develop an avalanche control site along the Seward Highway, an access road connecting to the Seward Highway with a locked gate will provide entry to the site to site will include a hella Port. 5 portable. Magazines for explosive storage and an area to the market for potential future additional portable magazines to store explosives, anchors municipal code. 21 0, 9, 0, 5, 0. A 5 table. 21 0, 9 dash to table the loud uses requires the conditional use review for government service in the Gaa district. The heliport is permitted by right in the J zoning district per table. 21 0, 9 dash 2, the epic and held a pre-application conference with reviewing agencies on December. 3rd, 2025 per AMC. 21 0, 3, 0, 8, 0 c 2. The applicant attended the Girdwood Board of Supervisors G Boss Land use committee meeting on January. 12th 2026 per AMC. 21 0, 3, 0, 8, 0 C 3. The planning Department know 54 public hearing notices on March 24th 2026. As of this writing, the planning Department has received no public comments G Boss adopted resolution 2026, 0, 1, in support of the rezoning of the site to the GA zoning district and of the associate title. 21 tax amendment to the GA Zoning District intent. This resolution also provide support of the avalanche control development in this conditional use review. You can find this on page. 48 of your staff report. If you're looking for. Municipal reviewing agencies had no objection to the conditional use for government service. The Planning and Zoning Commission may approve a conditional use application if in the judgment of the commission on 9 criteria have been met in all material matters. Planning staff found that all 9 approval criteria for conditions have been met with the conditions of approval found on Page 5 of your staff report. Therefore, staff recommends approval of this conditional use for governmental service facility in the GA zoning district subject to conditions. 1, 2, 3, found on Page 5 of the staff report. I can answer any questions that the commission may have and the petitioners representative is in attendance. Other questions for staff. Commissioner pull us just that quick clerical question. The agency review as a couple comments on Page 50. >> DOT, which I get. The sense that it's dot applying and dot come in. Teens but also query access road must be named by. Addressing is that covered by the department recommendation, conditions of approval. To the chair commissioner Post that will be taken care of when they apply for the permit. From the Muni, >> They'll have to create an address. Then for the permitting of it. Ok, thank you. You're welcome. Commissioner McKee. >> I threw the chair christoper staff. This is it rezoned it too. >> through Commissioner McKee. So the board, the commission past the rezone of this from Gdr, which it currently is to GA. That's a recommended approval. The assembly has to prove it. was introduced on the 14th. We just missed. We're trying to time this perfectly. So that the earth. That the assembly would have approved the rezone and the title, the chapter 9 title. 21 amendment. Unfortunately, we missed the date by 3 days for submission. So that pushed us to the summit. So it was introduced last Tuesday. It would normally be heard and approved. Next. This coming Tuesday of the 28. But due to the election cycle. That is getting pushed out to the May 12th Assembly meeting. >> And then a follow-up question. So because I'm new to the boards that maybe wasn't part of the previous discussions. If they rezone this to an airport and the adjacent development reserve. I mean, Girdwood doesn't have any concerns about all of the restrictions that will come into play in the surrounding area. Should they choose to develop that? >> Threw the Commissioner McKee. This was an effort by dot avalanche control. With many, many years going to the Girdwood board of super what going to girdwood and they got the comprehensive plan, the 2020 20 2025 Comprehensive Plan updated just in time to re to reclassified. This particular law does industrial, which then opened it up to where it could be rezoned as GA allowing the heliport by right and just requiring this conditional use for the government facility. Government services. Sorry. Thank you. You're welcome. >> Seeing no more questions >> we asked for the petitioners presentation. >> Good evening, Commissioners. My name is terrible. Sunday on the planner with our consultants supporting DOT with this project. I'm joined this evening by Tim Glass. That Matt McKee who are both with the snow Avalanche program for their respective organizations, Tunis with DOT. And Matt is here with the Alaska Railroad Corporation. Thank you for consideration in this conditional use permit and thank you staff for the report. Commissioner, MC you, this may be new for you, but for everyone else. Thank you for hearing us again on step 3 in this process and making this project a reality. Virgin Creek Avalanche, Mitigation, Storage and heliport facility is going to be a significant safety improvement for community and a drastic operational improvement for both the railroad in dot. The app lunch program works to reduce avalanche hazard in susceptible areas, really to minimize traffic delays. Potential road closures, ramp road closures and overall approve safety is specifically along the Highway Corridor. Their work collaboratively dot and the railroad all along this Highway corridor. And this project is really product to their continued ongoing cloud ration. As stated by staff DOT is requesting this conditional use permit specifically for the storage military arterial where the explosive materials that they used to actually conduct their avalanche operations. This proposed location was selected for a couple of key reasons. The first one being that it is substantially separated from developed land uses separated from existing neighborhoods. There's not many planned development adjacent to this location and has staff-suggested has been a long time working with the Kurds, community to find right spot to put this. In addition, proximity to chief mountains that typically require avalanches to be mitigated. It's right nearby and they have the ability at the site to have controlled improved in direct access to both the railroad and the Seward Highway. lastly, with the heliport at this location were able to conduct helicopter operations without flying directly over residential neighborhoods, which is a great bonus and were able to mitigate that. But otherwise would be a potential negative impact. The development. The new explosive storage facility and how a port it's going to like I said, big advancement for operations currently. And it's also going to support federal public safety objectives. I minimizing risks associated with explosive hazard handling storage and transportation. So having a federally compliant facility in this entrance location, again, very separated. existing developed land. It's going to reduce the need and the frequency the movement of hazardous material on public roadways. So the fact that they're able to get directly onto the Seward highway or onto the railroad and not have to navigate through the COVID. Ali, for example, it's a big benefit. This is part of a larger program as well. This is just one location that the snow avalanche programs are doing this statewide, looking for opportunities to I haven't change spots to store these explosive materials. So the proposed Virgin Creek Avalanche mitigation facility is directly supported by the girdwood comprehensive plan. again, by recent approvals that this body has granted full supporting the rezone in the Code Amendment. Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution in support of both the rezone and this conditional use permit. And I just want to quickly go over a couple features of the site plan itself. Of the 44 acre parcel. Only 1.2 of them are proposed to be developed for this facility. Access is directly from the Seward Highway, but it's going use the railroad right of and it's going to be controlled access so that a locked gate that will only allow authorized to teen railroad personnel to come and go. There will be 5 type fire type 2 portable magazines for exposes storage on site and each one of those magazines are going to be surrounded by earthen berm to provide additional barricaded if needed. There is additional space for a remote avalanche control system that dot is working to acquire as well as the heliport facility. Each of those portable magazines meets all federal requirements for construction inhalation fire resistance deterrent and locking mechanism. So each one of those is already built and is a secure unit. But we are also proposing fencing around the site for one more additional level of security. The site is not going to be very active. There's going to be weekly checks by staff to make sure that everything is as it should be on site, but otherwise activities really going to be limited peak season. Mobility is so in the fall, that's going to be mobilizing the remote avalanche control systems, which is where we actually use helicopters to pick up and place. Those systems on the mountain. And then again in the spring to go and retrieve those systems. The amount of explosives artillery that will be kept on site. It's going to be limited to only what's required for shuns at this one location. So the current designs to meet those means not to provide for larger regional. Facilities at this time. There is no additional site lighting that is proposed. We're not proposing any additional landscaping either. None is required. But there has been a good focus on keeping existing vegetation as much as we can to provide additional screening from the highway and adjacent properties. And I think that is my overview of the Tim is here to answer any specific questions about the snow lunch programs, operations you know, starter movement of those explosive materials themselves and gentlemen are here to speak to the agreement between the DOT and the railroad. If there any questions. With Thank you for your time and consideration. You have 3 minutes and 38 seconds for rebuttal. >> Are there any questions for the petitioner? >> Seeing none. >> open the Commissioner McKee. >> A couple of questions for you. Are there any intentions to store fuel on site for the helicopter to refuel >> there >> was a question in here about the protection are often distances from. >> Water. >> Areas. So they put the access road on. The side of the railroad tracks that's adjacent to like a wetland was there a reason why they didn't put it on the other side to allow the railroad facility to be kind of a natural >> or? >> Can you? Push a button? >> Thanks. Thank you for the question. When it's Tim Glass on the statewide Avalanche artillery program manager for Alaska DOT. But to answer your question specifically about access. For the Alaska Railroad, there needs to be sight. Distance along the railroad and that side allows that sight distance. So that's why that access road is on that side. And additionally, that is the old access road for the existing facility and it's going to be built out and make better for that way. Is my only question. >> I see no more questions will open it up the public hearing. Anyone from the public wishing to 5, please step forward. >> Okay. A last chance. Why are closing the public hearing? You have 3 minutes and 38 seconds for rebuttal. You like to use it What is the will of the body? Motion by Commissioner Post? Would you like stay motion. >> Yes, I move in case 2026 Dash 0, 0, 4, 8, to approve the conditional use for governmental service in the Girdwood airport. Sony district in accordance with AMC. 21. 0, 9, 0, 5, 0, 21. 0, 9, 2, 2 of the loud use is subject to conditions as shown on Page 5. The staff report >> that is seconded by Commissioner Christian Commissioner Polis. Would you like to speak your motion? >> Yes, I intend to support the motion. It with suggested findings that the application meets the conditional use criteria and that no comments of objection received from the public review agencies. I'll add that the Goodwood Board of Supreme Supervisors provided a resolution of support for the project. Additionally, I also agree with the department recommendations for condition of approval. >> Excellent. Anybody else wishing to speak to the motion. Airing seeing none will come for the vote. >> Missy Berhad vote. Mr. On. >> That motion passes. Next on the agenda. Commissioner comments. there any commissioner comments week? seeing none? Entertain a motion to adjourn moved by Commissioner Gardner second commissioner Any discussion or objection, fearing seeing none. We are adjourned. Thank you, Brandon. Jeff. >> Food. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> It's used be