By ARIADNE WILL
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Planning Commission passed a variance and issued two conditional use permits at their regular meeting Wednesday night.
Darrell Windsor and Katie Riley were absent, and Wendy Alderson and Stacy Mudry joined the meeting via Zoom.
The variance was issued to reduce front, rear, and side setbacks at Lot 3, Block 4, Sawmill Cove Industrial Park Resubdivision No. 1 in the Gary Paxton special district.
The property is owned by Northern Southeast Alaska Regional Aquaculture Association, which plans to build a new aquaculture facility at the site.
Adam Olson — who represented NSRAA at the meeting — said the facility will focus on chinook and chum aquaculture.
Planning Director Amy Ainslie said the front setback is reduced to zero only at the very corner of the lot, where the road adjacent to the lot turns into a cul-de-sac. Most of the front of the lot will maintain a 21-foot setback.
The eastern side of the building will maintain at least a 16-foot setback, except for at the corner of the building abutting the cul-de-sac.
The decrease in the rear setback means the building will be up against a buffer zone, not against a neighbor’s property, Ainslie said.
The property’s western neighbor also is NSRAA, which led staff to recommend approval on decreasing the western side setback to zero.
Day Care Request
A conditional use permit for a day care business with five or more children was issued to Kaycie Coleman, for her day care at 2840 Sawmill Creek Road in the R-1 LDMH single-family/manufactured home low density district. The protert is owned by her parents, Michael and Tessie Coleman.
Kaycie told the commission she recently was licensed by the state to care for up to eight children. She said she currently has a waiting list of 20 kids.
Food Truck
A conditional use permit to operate a food truck at 331 Lincoln Street in the CBD central business district was issued to Joshua and Jennifer Meabon.
Three food trucks now have permits to operate on the property, which is in the open setback area in front of the Coliseum Theater, The commission discussed whether there was space to operate all three food trucks at once.
Ainslie said the city has heard informally from Youth Advocates of Sitka — which has a permit to operate one of the trucks at that location — that the group is looking for a new place to park and run the truck.
Written public comment came from Adam Chinalski, who said he would like to make it a rule that all food trucks are professionally painted and lettered.
