City plan to sell de facto park in West Anchorage to developer runs into neighborhood resistance

The Bronson administration is taking steps to sell a park-like strip of land along Anchorage’s West Northern Lights Boulevard, potentially to build much-needed housing in the city.

But some residents in the Turnagain neighborhood say the land, just east of the Rustic Goat restaurant, has long been a de facto park and should remain that way.

The city’s real estate department is looking to sell the land — bigger than two football fields, with a partial view of the Chugach Mountains — to the developer of the Rustic Goat restaurant, who has expressed an interest in developing it, said Adam Trombley, who leads the department.

In mid-February, Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson sought Anchorage Assembly approval to sell the land, to set the stage for the city to pursue an agreement with the developer, J. Jay Brooks.

The Assembly, after hearing concerns from neighborhood residents that they needed more time to review the idea, tabled the discussion until March 15.

The Bronson administration wants to make sure the neighborhood is heard, Trombley said.

The goal of the proposal is to bring much-needed economic development, jobs and housing to the city, he said. Though the idea is in an early stage, Trombley said he can possibly foresee a small residential development, such as townhouses situated above a coffee shop.

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“When I see land in our inventory for close to 40 years that is not doing anything, not generating revenue for the city, and an interested developer says, ‘I’d like to buy that and build a development,’ well, it just makes sense to do this,” he said.

The flat stretch of green space was created in the 1980s during a major improvement project that expanded and upgraded Northern Lights. It followed a series of traffic accidents, including the death of a 9-year-old boy in 1983 who was trying to cross the street.

The municipality removed apartments alongside the road to make way for it. Engineers dug Northern Lights deeper, offsetting the road from the land, residents said. Landscapers planted dozens of trees overlooking the road, and added bridges for pedestrians and the railroad.

Cathy Gleason, vice president of the Turnagain Community Council, said the municipality always intended for the area to be used as a park.

Historical planning documents show the land as a “parklike environment,” and city signs installed at the site called it park land for decades, she said. Today, people walk dogs there, kick soccer balls or fly kites, she said.

She said it should have been officially dedicated as municipal parkland, but it appears that never happened.

“It’s a huge omission, an unfortunate omission, but now we have to do the right thing,” she said

Brooks, who developed the Rustic Goat and six nearby townhouses on a small site adjacent to the property in 2014, said he approached the city’s real estate department late last year about acquiring the land.

The property, divided into 12 lots, includes the parking lot that the Rustic Goat built and leases from the city, to alleviate unexpected parking problems on local streets after the restaurant became a hot destination.

Brooks said his primary reason for pitching the idea was to acquire the parking lot to ensure it will always be available for the restaurant’s use, he said.

But he also saw an opportunity for a mixed-use project, with low-density residential use, if he could acquire the open stretch of land east of the parking lot.

The strip of land is relatively narrow, raising questions about how — or even if — it can be developed, he said.

But if something attractive can be built there, and if it fits nicely with the neighborhood, it could lead to new investment and upgrades nearby, he said. Brooks said the green, open space is valuable, and he would preserve some of it.

“Some more mixed-use development I think would be interesting, but I don’t have a burning desire to do anything that the community isn’t fully engaged with and wants,” he said.

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The land is mostly zoned for multifamily residential use, such as for low-rise, multistory townhouses, and with some potentially small-scale retail or offices.

Anna Brawley, president of the Turnagain Community Council, often takes walks over the footbridge.

She said it’s a good time to think about the best use of the land, and doesn’t have a position on the proposal.

It’s historical use as a park is important, she said. But it’s also important to think about how the site can meet future Anchorage needs as well.

Leanne Werner, a nearby resident walking her dogs at the site on Sunday, said residents are concerned about streets being too busy or unsafe, and a development will raise questions about traffic.

“It would be nice if they did more with it from a park perspective,” she said. “All this greenery and trees is the vibe people like over here.”

Bruce Rein, another resident walking his dog, said his now-grown kids learned to ride bikes and played frisbee on the land years ago.

The area is a nice road buffer for the neighborhood, and he’d like to see it improved as a park. Dead spruce trees could be replaced, maybe a playground added, he said.

But he said might support a small, affordable housing development.

“I support as much green space as we can keep, but I can see where people think it’s not used properly,” he said.

Some speakers at the February Assembly meeting also called on the city to put the land out for bid, rather than selling it directly to Brooks.

Trombley said city code allows the real estate department to sell land it owns to an interested party, without offering it up for bid.

Trombley said there will be multiple opportunities for public input before development can occur, if the Assembly agrees the land can be sold.

The land must be sold at fair market value, following an appraisal, he said. It’s currently assessed for tax purposes at about $1.1 million, city records show.

Kameron Perez-Verdia, an Assembly member for the area, said he hasn’t taken a position, and is meeting with residents to learn their views.

The council plans to hold a special public meeting on the topic on March 7, when residents can hear input from Trombley and Brooks.