Presentation and CLAPC Meeting
March 8, 2023
On Wednesday night, we held back-to-back meetings for the Unit 395 project. We started with a presentation from RESPEC and Corvus Design showing a proposed master plan and Q&A from those attending (both online and in-person), followed by a Special Meeting of the Cooper Landing Advisory Planning Commission to discuss the proposed master plan.
Draft Proposed Master Plan
Based on the feedback from all the previous meetings and workshops, interviews with key stakeholders, review of planning documents, and guidance from the borough, RESPEC and Corvus Design created these draft master plan layouts. The top priorities that were identified through this project were housing, recreation, wildlife protection, and resource management.
Perspectives on Housing
Housing is a major concern for the residents and workers of Cooper Landing. We heard a lot of different opinions on priorities and approaches to affordable housing. Most folks aligned with one of these statements:
Cooper Landing needs affordable housing, but not at the expense of wildlife. Higher development costs are justified if the housing is south of the highway, therefore avoiding the wildlife corridor on the western side of the parcel.
Cooper Landing needs affordable housing, and it should happen in Cooper Landing proper, not on Unit 395. Developing on Unit 395 is too expensive, impractical, and would cause issues for CLES. It should be recreation only.
Cooper Landing needs affordable housing, and development within Cooper Landing proper should be prioritized. It makes more sense to first develop borough-owned parcels where there are already utilities/infrastructure and where it’s easier for CLES to respond.
Cooper Landing needs affordable housing, and it won’t happen without legislation. Creating a small lot subdivision and doing a land sale as they’ve been done in the past will result in wealthy outsiders buying multiple lots to build their dream homes, not in locals finally being able to own land.
Other Topics
Sqilantnu Archaeological District
The historic and cultural importance of this site need to be respected throughout the planning and development processes.
Emergency Services
The capacity and response time of Cooper Landing Emergency Services should be considered when developing new residential areas.
Wildlife
While it’s true that wildlife interactions and movements occur throughout all of Cooper Landing, the planning process should account for the wildlife corridor west of the Unit 395 boundary leading to the wildlife overpass that will be constructed over the bypass and any key natural features within or near the parcel.
Recreation
Cooper Landing loves recreation! There were some concerns about the feasibility of creating facilities to host competitions (Nordic skiing, mountain biking, etc.) but people were generally in favor of having recreation on the parcel.
Costs
Some folks feel cost could be a deciding factor in choosing land management options, others feel that cost is secondary to other priorities (e.g., wildlife protection).
Next Steps?
The community expressed a desire to slow down the process, so the consultant team and the KPB are coordinating next steps to accommodate that. We anticipate additional presentations to the public to allow for Q&A as the project continues to develop, so keep an eye out for those announcements!