By HENRY COLT
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Planning Commission recommended approval Wednesday evening for a zoning text amendment that would define the term “bulk retail,” and make bulk retail a conditional use in industrial zones.
The request was filed by Jeremy and Savanah Plank.
“We have recently opened a bulk goods store, Sitka Bulk Goods, in which we’re trying to bring in goods in bulk, which would require us to use more of a warehouse setting, bringing in pallets and higher volumes and quantities of merchandise, but then be able to turn around and sell those back to the general population of Sitka,” Jeremy Plank explained to the Planning Commission.
“We currently own a property at 311 Price Street, so this text change would allow us to use the building we’ve already purchased – which would help us get the business started without having to go out and source another store or location,” he said.
City Planning Director Amy Ainslie said the issue came up during a routine business registration review in which staff discovered that the location of the new bulk retail operation didn’t comply with the current industrial zone regulations.
Richard Wein, an Assembly member speaking from the public, said, “I think that having economic and retail diversity within the town is very important, especially when we talk about affordability and so forth – we all know that a box of Cheerios at Sam’s Club is gigantic, whereas in local retailers it’s 24 ounces.”
Ainslie said the commission will adopt the American Planning Association’s “well-rounded” definition of bulk retail.
“Bulk retail involves a high volume of sales of related and/or unrelated products in a warehouse setting,” she said, summarizing the definition for the Planning Commission.
She said bulk retail differs from regular retail because it deals in “large and categorized products.” She said these products could include anything from heating fixture supplies to nursery stock to groceries to personal care items.
The commission gave unanimous approval to the zoning text amendment, and the recommendation now goes to the Assembly, which has final authority on changes to the zoning code.
Other Business
In other business at the Wednesday meeting, the commission approved conditional use permits for short-term rentals at 103 Kramer Avenue, filed by Matthew and Sidney Kinney, and for two properties owned by Charles and Theresa Olson, at 3009 and 2160 Halibut Point Road.
The panel also discussed identifying stakeholders in the No Name Mountain/Granite Creek Master Plan, a plan to develop an 830-acre tract of mountainside city land located between Granite Creek Road and Starrigavan.
The Jan. 22 kickoff session for the Master Plan featured a team of city-hired contractors who introduced themselves to the commission and to the public.
“I think we all agree that a successful plan is going to be based on abundant and diverse public input,” said Scott Brylinsky, special projects manager with the planning department.
Commission members spoke of a stakeholder survey, developed by Stacy Mudry, which they plan to make available online, at the public library, the planning office and various businesses downtown.
