CityView Portal
| Submitted comments will appear below after staff approval. | |
|---|---|
| Jason Norris | 11/20/2024 10:50:20 AM |
| PZC Members, I write to you in regard to Case 2024-0124 (DM) that seeks to amend AMC 21.03.160 to prohibit the inclusion of Special Limitations in approving an amendment to the Zoning Map. I urge you to approve of the amendment for the reasons stated below. Special Limitations act to contravene market forces driving development in the community and have demonstrably led to the cancelling of the construction of hundreds of units of housing in our community, enhancing our housing crisis. Special Limitations unilaterally and bureaucratically dismiss the well-being of the community at large in favor of the loudest opposing voices in the room. They are, in effect, a NIMBY’s final chance at a veto. Notice that Special Limitations only work in one direction. They can only be used to reduce the amount of development being sought. This is ostensibly because staff have unique and valuable information about local conditions that require a negative deviation from the zoning code being sought to govern a particular development. However, if this is true, would staff not also have unique and valuable information about local conditions that require a positive deviation from the zoning code being sought? Should Special Limitations remain in use, staff should not also be allowed, but encouraged, to find opportunities where a developer individually and the community generally might benefit from more intensive development than that being sought. If we are placing staff in the position of being all knowing and all powerful in being able to determine what is best in each case down to a very granular level of development, then why do we not trust them to enhance, rather than solely restrict development? In summary, the Special Limitation process is obstructionist by design, and their individual and collective impacts highly detrimental to the city as a whole. Special Limitations are also often arbitrary, with little reason for their existence in the first place, much less justification based on observable data or logical conclusions. They contribute to a patch work, “vibes-based zoning” feel to the Municipality as a whole and given they run with the land forever until repealed, they cement in stone restrictions on a lot that may otherwise be put to more productive use as conditions inherently change. While I wholeheartedly support eliminating the approval of the use of Special Limitations, I further support repealing all Special Limitations already in effect, and encourage PZC to make such a recommendation in moving this item forward. Thank you, Jason Norris Anchorage, Alaska | |
| John Weddleton | 11/14/2024 10:30:12 AM |
| Special Limitations should remain a tool in the box. SLs offer a flexible and collaborative tool to gain more use of scarce land in Anchorage. Shortcomings regarding any difficulty in determining what the SL is can be fixed by following code and using our flexible new CAMA system. Without SLs, we would have fewer rezones to higher intensity use. | |
| Debbie Ossiander | 10/16/2024 8:52:42 PM |
| Special limitations have value to buffer different land uses, protect environmental features and to create conformity to comprehensive plans. I fail to see how a blanket prohibition is beneficial | |