By ARIADNE WILL
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Planning Commission Wednesday night turned down a request to rezone a property on Shotgun Alley from single-family low density to single-family, duplex, manufactured home low density.
The request was filed by Barth Hamberg, who said his plans to develop his property at 205 Shotgun Alley depends on whether he can build an accessory dwelling unit along with a primary residence. Accessory dwellings are not permitted in the SFLD zone.
Several neighbors spoke against the rezoning, and the commission denied the application on a unanimous vote.
The Shotgun Alley neighborhood is in the only SFLD zone in Sitka. The restrictive zoning was approved at the request of the property owners in the early 1990s.
In their comments to the commission, area residents said the rezoning would change the character of the neighborhood. Some feared that rezoning Hamberg’s property would open the door for more properties to be rezoned, and that the Shotgun Alley area would lose its wooded, sparsely populated character.
Davey Lubin told the commission that Hamberg was, in fact, one of the property owners who fought for the SFLD zoning in the 1990s.
“I would hope the Planning Commission sees value in retaining a diversity of zones,” Lubin said. “I don’t believe (Hamberg’s) request for a change of zoning will have a positive effect on our neighborhood.”
In other business Wednesday, the commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit request allowing the former Sheldon Jackson College Stratton Library to be used for professional offices.
The property, at 831 Lincoln Street, is in the R-2 multifamily district, and is owned by the State of Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development. The building was acquired by the state over ten years ago with plans to extend the Sheldon Jackson Museum next door.
Approval of the use of the building was subject to several condiitions.
Of concern to the commission was the placement of the parking area. Commissioners worried that visitors and those using the offices in the building might park in the lots owned by the Sitka Sound Science Center and the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, which are adjacent to the Stratton Library building.
Conditions of approval included that the state try its best to build a pathway from the parking lot to the front door, and that they attempt to pave and stripe the existing parking area. The owners also were asked to work with the fine arts camp and the science center on parking issues.
Public comments on the item were submitted by Lisa Busch, executive director of the Sitka Sound Science Center, and Roger Schmidt, executive director of Sitka Fine Arts Camp.
Busch said the science center is interested in renting the offices when they’re available. Commissioners said that would be a good option, as it wouldn’t further complicate parking in the area.
Along with the conditional use approval, the commission unanimously approved a variance reducing the parking requirement for the library building under its new use for offices.
Also passed by unanimous votes were two conditional use permits for short-term rentals.
One was issued to Benjamin Timby, whose permit application for a short-term rental at 717 Sawmill Creek Road was rejected at the Planning Commission’s Dec. 15 meeting due to concerns about the lack of offstreet parking.
The approval of Timby’s application Wednesday requires renters have access to six bikes and a maximum of one vehicle, and an off-street parking spot is to be leased from a neighbor.
Another short-term rental permit was issued to Dave Allen, for his property at 1908 Sawmill Creek Road in the R-2 multifamily district.
Allen said the house was the home of his parents, now deceased, and that turning it into a short-term rental would allow him to maintain the property, which also includes an indoor swimming pool and a private dock.
Asked if he had considered renting the property long-term, Allen said the rent amount he’d need wouldn’t contribute to the local housing market in ways Sitka needs. He added that short-term renting could be a way to bring some money into Sitka from outside.
Present at the meeting were Stacy Mudry, Wendy Alderson, Katie Riley, and Darrell Windsor. Chair Chris Spivey was absent.
