TOP: It was standing-room-only at Tuesday night’s Assembly meeting in Harrigan Centennial Hall. Many Sitkans attended the meeting to weigh in on the situation at the Sitka Animal Shelter. ABOVE LEFT: Assembly members Kevin Mosher, left, and Scott Saline are sworn in for three-year terms after the results of the municipal election were certified. ABOVE RIGHT: Steven Eisenbeisz listens to Municipal Clerk Sara Peterson as he takes the oath of office for a third two-year term as mayor.  (Sentinel Photos by James Poulson)

Sitka Wins Title at Volleyball Extravaganza
09 Oct 2024 16:15

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    While the Sitka High Lady Wolves and Mt. Edgecumbe La [ ... ]

City, Shelter Friends Seek Joint Agreement
09 Oct 2024 15:49

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly laid the groundwork Tuesday night for a revised [ ... ]

School Board Goes Forward with Pre-K Plan
09 Oct 2024 13:57

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Plans for a pre-kindergarten program administered by t [ ... ]

Sitka Tells Tales Hosts Animal-Theme Storytelling,...
09 Oct 2024 13:55

By Sentinel Staff Seven Sitkans will share tales about animals at a live storytelling event Sitka T [ ... ]

Rep. McKay’s Resignation On Hold Over Legal Snag
09 Oct 2024 13:46

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    Anchorage Republican Rep. Tom McKay submitted a letter of resigna [ ... ]

Fisheries Top Topic in U.S. House Debate
09 Oct 2024 13:42

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    A two-hour debate on Alaska fisheries issues turned contentious i [ ... ]

October 9, 2024, Police Blotter
09 Oct 2024 13:33

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
October 8
At 12:11 a.m. an of [ ... ]

October 9, 2024, Community Happenings
09 Oct 2024 13:31

Life Celebration
For David Jackson
A celebration of life for David Jackson will be held 4:30 p.m. Sund [ ... ]

New NOAA Report Favors Troll Fishing
08 Oct 2024 15:35

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
In the latest development in the Wild Fish Conservancy’s l [ ... ]

Apartments, Four Stores Lost in Haines Fire
08 Oct 2024 15:33

From the Chilkat Valley News
    Investigation continued today into the fire that swept through a  [ ... ]

Wolves Lead Pack but Take Second at State
08 Oct 2024 14:27

By GARLAND KENNEDY
    Sentinel Sports Editor/>    In the capstone race of another high-performin [ ... ]

Study Lists Risk Factors Tied to Alaskans’ Health...
08 Oct 2024 14:24

By YERETH ROSEN
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    Alaska adults coping with stress, isolation, housing insecurity o [ ... ]

Rep. Peltola, Begich Set 3 Meetings in One Week
08 Oct 2024 14:23

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, and her leading challenger, Republic [ ... ]

October 8, 2024, Police Blotter
08 Oct 2024 13:31

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
October 7
A propane tank was  [ ... ]

October 8, 2024, Community Happenings
08 Oct 2024 13:30

Chili Cook-Off
Competition
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Chili aficionados are being called to enter the annual Brewfest [ ... ]

Sitka Strong at State X-Country Meet
07 Oct 2024 15:04

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Writer
Running on a crisp fall day in Anchorage at the state champi [ ... ]

All Votes Are Counted – Results Unchanged
07 Oct 2024 14:27

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The count of 70 absentee and questioned ballots by th [ ... ]

Native Artists' Access To Museums Eased
07 Oct 2024 14:25

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
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    Sarah Knudsen has been beading for long enough that she says s [ ... ]

Noncitizens Voting? Alaska Records Say No
07 Oct 2024 14:24

By JAMES BROOKS
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    When Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump took the stag [ ... ]

October 7, 2024, Police Blotter
07 Oct 2024 14:07

Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
October 4
A bear and two cubs were reported [ ... ]

October 7, 2024, Community Happenings
07 Oct 2024 14:05

This Week in Girls on the Run
For the third week of Girls on the Run, participants learned about iden [ ... ]

Concert to Showcase SHS Musical Talent
04 Oct 2024 15:12

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The biggest choir Sitka High School has seen in years will p [ ... ]

Commission Proposes Change in City Code
04 Oct 2024 15:08

By ARIADNE WILL
Sentinel Staff Writer
    At Wednesday’s regular meeting, the Planning Commission [ ... ]

State: Drug OD Deaths Broke a Record in 2023
04 Oct 2024 15:07

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska had a record number of drug-overdose deaths in 2023, with  [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

Sitka Leads the Way With Tiny Home Law

By HENRY COLT
Sentinel Staff Writer
    After four months, three Planning Commission sessions, three first readings by the Assembly and nearly one hundred phone calls made by Planning Department Special Projects Manager Scott Brylinsky, the Assembly Tuesday night passed the ordinance that makes tiny homes a viable living option in Sitka.
    Janet Thome, Tiny Home Industry Association liaison and media coordinator based in Washington, told the Sentinel today that this may be the first of its kind in local codes regarding tiny homes.
    “The (Sitka) ordinance will be a template that other jurisdictions can follow across the country,” Thome wrote Tuesday night in a THIA blog post headlined “Groundbreaking Sitka, Alaska Tiny House Ordinance.”
    “Almost every day, we are seeing a battle with homeowners and municipalities: is it a structure, or is it a vehicle? Perhaps it is both; I applaud Sitka for forging a way for others,” she wrote in the blog post.
    Tiny homes are a global trend, and local jurisdictions have been hurriedly trying to fold them into their local building and zoning codes. And they’ve been succeeding, says Thome – but only “from the floor joists up.”
    Where they get stumped, she says, is the movable, wheeled chassis on which many tiny home owners want to build their dwellings.
    “Everybody is wanting to live in a tiny home on wheels,” Thome told the Sentinel in an interview today. “It’s the rage all across the country; I mean, it’s huge! They’re great for mobility, for avoiding natural disasters, and they can be rapidly built and factory controlled.”
     “But the jurisdictions immediately say ‘No,’ or the insurance companies say, ‘No,’” she added. “They haven’t figured out how to check that box.”
    Sitka found a way to check that box.
    Rather than shoehorning them into previously existing categories like RV’s, self-propelled vehicles, fifth wheel trailers or second family dwellings, Sitka’s ordinance – a joint effort between the city’s planning, zoning, and legal departments – provides tiny homes on chassis their very own definition and legal classification.
    Thome says she plans to send the Sitka ordinance to a number of cities, including ones in Washington, Colorado, Missouri, and New Zealand.
    In addition to providing a legal status for tiny homes on chassis, the Sitka ordinance has three features:
    -It adopts Appendix Q from the International Residential Code (IRC), which allows certain construction breaks to homes less than 400 square feet.
    -It allows tiny homes on permanent foundations to be built in Mobile/Manufactured home parks.
    -It conditionally allows tiny houses on chassis to be placed in individual lots in the same zoning districts that currently allow manufactured homes to be placed in individual lots.
    The Sentinel spoke with building official Pat Swedeen about the steps needed to comply with the new regulations.
    To ship a previously-built tiny home from out of town to Sitka, Swedeen said, the builder has to provide proof that the structure meets IRC standards. The new owner must apply for a conditional use permit through the Planning Commission.
    Those seeking to build a tiny home for themselves would have to apply for both a conditional use permit and a building permit, the building officials said.
    Swedeen says he is here to help. “Emails, phone calls, meetings here in the office – we’ll do everything we can to help people come to a design that’s approvable,” he said.
    “While the home is being built, we’ll do inspections,” Swedeen says. “We’ll inspect the framing, the electrical installation, the plumbing installation, and then at the end we’ll come through and do a final inspection to make sure everything was done right and wired correctly, at which point we’ll provide what has been termed a ‘certificate of approval,’ which is an adaptation of a certificate of occupancy.”
    Approvable tiny homes must have a “habitable room” (excluding kitchen area) whose length and width are both greater than 7 feet. The total square footage of the structure, excluding lofts, must be less than 400 square feet. The homes must have skirted bottoms and ventilated crawl spaces, and be hooked up to city sewer and water.
    Sitka High students in the Career and Technical Education program have built the Tongass Tiny Home, a version of a tiny home that is currently for sale at $65,000
    Unfortunately, said Swedeen, the Tongass Tiny Home is too tiny to be approvable. He says its longest habitable room dimension is closer to 5 feet than 7 feet.
    Swedeen encourages those with building questions to contact him at 747-1832  or pat.swedeen@cityofsitka.org.
    Those with zoning questions should reach out to Planning Director Amy Ainslie at 747-1815 or amy.ainslie@cityofsitka.org.

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20 YEARS AGO

October 2004

In Tuesday’s election, Marko Dapcevich was the apparent winner in the race for mayor; Dave Dapcevich and incumbent Al Duncan Sr. won the two Assembly seats ... Marko Dapcevcich and Dave Dapcevich are half-brothers, sons of former. Mayor John Dapcevich.


50 YEARS AGO

October 1974

Classified For Sale: 2-bdrm. house with attached rental apt., downtown and on the water. No. 10 Maksoutoff. $50,000. • 1966 Olds Cutlass. $500, good condition, new snow tires. Will accept trade for VW Bus.


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