Daily Sitka Sentinel

Zone Change Recognizes Historic SJ Cemetery

By ARIADNE WILL
Sentinel Staff Writer

The Planning Commission approved an amendment Tuesday night to rezone the cemetery on the old Sheldon Jackson Campus.

Commission members also approved a variance to reduce the setback of a city-owned lot in the Gary Paxton Industrial Park.

The Tuesday meeting was Victor Weaver’s last before he moves to Washington state for work.

Sitka Tribe of Alaska requested the rezoning of the cemetery portion of the SJ campus.

The zoning code’s “C-cemetery district” was created in December 2018. Until that time, cemeteries were zoned “P-public district” or, as in the case of the old burial ground on the SJ campus, included in the overall R-2 zoning of the campus.

The property is known as Lot 2-2, Sheldon Jackson Campus Subdivision Number 2. 

STA legal director Steven Hartford told the commission why the rezoning was requested.

“It will assist us in identifying and protecting historic property that is significant to the tribe,” Hartford said. “In the long run, it will help preserve our tribal heritage and the heritage of the broader community.”

Planning and Community Development Director Amy Ainslie said in her report that rezoning will allow STA to better document cemetery use, make the property easier to protect and maintain, and will open up historic preservation grant opportunities.

The SJ graveyard near the Sawmill Creek bike path is pictured today. The Sitka Planning Commission granted a request to rezone the lot from R-2 to the newly created cemetery zone. The cemetery is owned by Sitka Tribe of Alaska and has graves dating back to as early as 1888. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

After some discussion, the commission also granted a variance to the City and Borough of Sitka to decrease the setback from 5 feet to 1.5 feet at 4658 Sawmill Creek Road, in the Gary Paxton Industrial Park.

The encroachment permit affects property north of the lot that will be used to build a new water filtration building for the city. 

The variance will allow for more space south of the filtration membrane building planned for the site. City Project Manager Dave Longtin explained that this difference of a few feet will give service vehicles better access the plant.

“If the proposed membrane filter plant is moved to the south, we’ll have to relocate (the entrance) gate and the fence south of the (adjacent facility) to the south to allow a tight turn,” Longtin told the commission.

Longtin said that by leaving the fence in its current location, the city will save money on maintenance. 

Weaver questioned whether the variance was necessary, or if the city should just move the fence.

Longtin said public works decided it was easier to request a variance than to move the fence. He said this would save the city “a few thousand bucks.”