At tonight's Regular Assembly Meeting, the Anchorage Assembly approved two items to open the former Golden Lion Inn as low-income housing. The first, an agreement to lease the facility to Henning, Inc. (AO 2023-79), was approved 10-1 and the second, a $250,000 grant agreement to Henning, Inc. for startup operation costs (AM 549-2023), was approved 10-1.
“This had been something years in the making. The Municipality purchased this asset in 2020 and it has been mostly sitting vacant since then," said Assembly Member Felix Rivera, who serves as the chair of the Assembly Housing & Homelessness Committee. “So I am excited that we are finally utilizing this asset for something helpful for our community, but I'm also very nervous about how it is run. I really hope that the Health Department and Operator can overcome their past problems with operations at the Sullivan and make this a strong example of housing done right."
Assembly Member Karen Bronga added, “I was disappointed that this was postponed at the last meeting, but I understand the need for due diligence. I'm super excited this is going forward. I think this is going to be a good thing for Anchorage."
Assembly Vice Chair Meg Zaletel voted against both items and issued the following statement after the meeting. “While I understand why the Assembly passed the lease and grant agreements with Henning, Inc. to allow the Golden Lion to become housing, I couldn't support the items. The Assembly was presented a proposal with a single provider instead of a competitive process. Historically, negotiating with a single provider has been problematic for the Municipality and I believe those concerns, including tenant safety and financial viability of the operation, are likely to arise again. While I am happy to see this long overdue housing come online, the Municipality needs to do better to protect itself and get the best possible operator in service to our city's vulnerable unhoused population."
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Contact:
Felix Rivera | Housing & Homelessness Committee Chair, District 4, Midtown
Karen Bronga | Assembly Member, District 5, East Anchorage
Meg Zaletel | Assembly Vice Chair, District 4, Midtown