The Cordova City Council is urging the University of Alaska to take Eccles Lagoon residents into consideration if the school’s Whiskey Creek Subdivision plan proceeds.
During the body’s Aug. 20 meeting, council members voted unanimously to support the university’s subdivision plan – with an amendment that stipulates the university must address the floating road easements that provide access for Eccles Lagoon residents. The amended resolution came after members of the community voiced their concerns about the floating easements in the area the university is proposing to subdivide.
“My hope is that we’d be able to allow them to have a little bit more access into the planning process,” Council Member Dave Zastrow said during the meeting.
Fourteen Whiskey Ridge landowners, all but one of whom live there full time, wrote a joint letter to the City Council emphasizing that their properties need to remain accessible.
“Our properties have a well-established and developed trail system that has been in use for over 40 years, which is the only legal and practical access to our property,” the letter states. They also noted the state Department of Natural Resources has also historically “recognized this important access.”
The University of Alaska this summer announced its intention to subdivide and sell about 32 acres of land it owns within Cordova’s Whiskey Ridge Drive Subdivision. After the school posted its subdivision plan, University of Alaska land management officials met with Cordova city staff to review their proposal – and explained they accelerated the timing in order to “preserve project funding,” according to the City Council packet.
Council members are pointing at the opportunity for more housing development on the newly subdivided land, something many city officials agree Cordova needs.
Last summer the Prince William Sound Economic Development District said it would invite a group of housing developers to Cordova to address the city’s critical lack of housing. During that meeting, developers brainstormed creative solutions to the housing shortage – ranging from working with local housing nonprofits like the Rural Alaska Community Action Program (RurAL CAP), or even by importing modular and pre-built homes.
However, by March of this year, data still showed that the accessible housing situation is still dire in many areas around the state, including in Cordova.
Mayor Kristin Smith, during the Aug. 20 council meeting, reiterated that the council’s resolution is just to show initial support of the university’s plan.
The University of Alaska land management team has told Cordova city staff it will “work collaboratively to ensure that Cordova’s zoning and subdivision regulations are being met,” according to the council packet.
Council Member Kasey Kinsman added that there will be more opportunity for public engagement. Written public comments were due to the university by 5 p.m. on Aug. 22.
“Even if this goes forward past this process, turns into a subdivision, there’s going to be multiple layers of comment periods throughout this,” he said.
There will be a livestreamed public comment session with the University of Alaska on Sept. 3. University land management committee members will then meet on Sept. 4 to vote on the proposal, and the full university land management board will take a final vote on Sept. 5.
A majority “no” vote at either the committee or the full board level would halt the subdivision project.
