KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Kayla Desroches/KMXT
The borough is working to clear the muddy waters of land sale.
At the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meeting on Thursday, the assembly altered language in its code that Borough Manager Michael Powers said modernizes the land disposal process.
“It basically puts the onus on a developer or developers to present proposals for the development and then, once awarded, carry out the development, and this has been something that staff and the lands committee has been looking at and considering.”
He said it’s one alternative to an outcry auction.
In this case, the borough would put the parcel up for sale and ask to see developers’ plans for that piece of land.
“Prospective developers would come back with proposals that say we see the best use for this land as 50 percent residential, 50 percent commercial. It’s going to require rezoning. It’s going to require roads, water, sewer. Here’s a rough layout of what it could look like.”
He said it packages the process up.
Assemblywoman Rebecca Skinner pointed out the ability to do all that already exists in the code.
“I do wonder in some ways if codifying some of this into the code is the best way, if some of this could be captured more through policies and procedures, but again I think that we can already do this, but this just makes it clear that we can and how it works.”
The motion carried 6 – 0.
