HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-10-09 Planning & Zoning Packet - Work SessionCITY OF KENAI
PLANNING & ZONIN6
COMMISSION
Work Session
October 9, 2013 - 6 -7 p.m.
Transitional Housing Discussion
A light meal will be provided.
MA
" "Villa9e with a Past, C# with a Future
210 Fidalgo Avenue, Kenai, Alaska 99611 -7794
Telephone: 907 - 283 -7535 / FAX: 907- 283 -3014 �IIIIt
1992
MEMO*
TO: Planning & Zoning Commission
FROM:
Nancy Carver, Acting City Planner
�/
DATE:
October 3, 2013
SUBJECT: Transitional Housing
At the request of the City Council, Administration is facilitating a discussion to consider
zoning regulation of Transitional Housing in the City of Kenai. Those in attendance in
addition to the Commission, staff , City Manager, City Attorney, Police and Fire Chiefs
and public to provide discussion and direction.
Attached are examples of the City of Anchorage, City of Soldotna, Matsu Borough and
Northstar Borough Zoning Codes. While reviewing these codes the Commission may
want to consider the following:
• Transitional housing definition: Included in packet;
• Limit to specific zones;
• Limit number of beds or square footage;
• Limit the number of months (i.e., 30 days, 24 months, 36 months....);
o Long term /temporary
• Management/Operation plans;
• Conditional Use Permit in all zones.
Other:
Transitional Housing Definitions
Here are a couple decent definitions:
1. Temporary housing with services to assist homeless persons and families to prepare for
and obtain permanent housing within 24 months.
2. A project designed to provide housing and appropriate support services to homeless
persons to facilitate movement to independent living within 24 months.
Scott M. Bloom
City Attorney
City of Kenai
210 Fidalgo Avenue
Kenai AK 99611
Tel. 907 283 -8225
Fax 907 283 -3014
Other Possible Definitions:
City of Soldotna
City of Soldotna has several transitional houses that are permitted in the following
zones: Multi - Family, Commercial, Limited Commercial and Institutional and are
generally identified by the type of "community residence."
"Community Residence" is a general term that includes the following:
"Community Residence for the Handicapped" means a dwelling shared by at
least 5 but not more than 9 handicapped persons, including resident staff, who
live together as a single housekeeping unit and in a long -term, family -like
environment in which staff persons provide care, education, and participation in
community activities for the residents with the primary goal of enabling the
residents to live as independently as possible in order to reach their maximum
potential. As used herein, the term "handicapped" shall mean having: a) a
physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of such
person's major life activities so that such person is incapable of living
independently; b) a record of having such an impairment; or c) being regarded as
having such an impairment. However, "handicapped" shall not include current
illegal use of or addiction to a controlled substance, nor shall it include any
person whose residency in the home would constitute a direct threat to the health
and safety of another individual. The term "community residence for the
handicapped" shall not include alcoholism or drug treatment centers, work
release facilities for convicts or ex- convicts, or other housing facilities serving as
an alternative to incarceration.
2. "Emergency Shelter" means a facility, the principal use of which is to provide
temporary protection and room and board without compensation for individuals,
families, or both for an average stay of 30 days or less per person. Such a
facility, while primarily providing temporary shelter for persons in distress, may
also offer such supportive services as counseling, therapy, and placement.
3. "Correctional Community Residential Center (CCRC)" means a facility for the
short -term or temporary (normally not to exceed 6 months) detention of persons
in transition from a correctional institution, performing restitution or undergoing
rehabilitation or recovery from a legal infirmity. CCRC's may not be used for
detention of persons who pose a threat or danger to the public for violent or
sexual misconduct without imprisonment or physical confinement under guard or
24 -hour physical supervision. Requires Conditional Use Permit
Soldotna Zones
17.10.250 Multi - Family Residential District (MF), Z
A. Intent. The Multi - Family Residential District (MF) is intended to provide for stable
residential development for a range of housing densities and other uses which are
both compatible with the residential character and provide for areas of transition
between commercial and industrial land uses and lower density residential uses.
B. Permitted Principal Uses and Structures. The following principal uses and structures
are permitted in the MF District:
1) Community residences: community residence for the handicapped;
2) Day care centers, provided the use complies with requirements of the State and
such play area is visually screened from any adjoining lot in any residential district;
3) Dwellings: single - family, two - family, multi - family, condominium, and townhouse;
4) Lodging: bed and breakfast establishments, provided they shall be owner
occupied and owner operated, rent no more than 3 guestrooms, have no more
than 2 beds in each guestroom, and not be rented to any individual guest for more
than 1 month.
5) Lodging: boarding houses;
6) Parks and day -use playgrounds; and
7) Schools: elementary.
C. Conditional Uses and Structures. The following conditional uses and structures may
be approved in the MF District, subject to the general standards and procedures
found in Section 17.10.400, Conditional Uses, any specific standards cited with the
uses, and any special conditions imposed by the Commission:
1) Boat mooring and launching facilities;
2) Churches and similar religious facilities;
3) Emergency shelter;
4) Guide services, including fishing, hunting, and tour, provided these facilities shall
be owner occupied and owner operated;
5) Institutions: handicapped;
6) Offices: general;
7) Recreation: sports field; and
8) Schools: secondary school, college, and vocational /technical.
17.10.265 Commercial District (C). _
A. Intent. The Commercial District (C) is intended to provide an area which is
convenient, visually pleasing, contributes to the economic welfare of the community,
and allows a wide range of general business and other compatible uses.
B. Permitted Principal Uses and Structures. The following principal uses and structures
are permitted in the C District, subject to the general standards provided in
subsection E of this section:
1. Animal care: veterinarian clinics /animal hospitals.
a. Inside animal boarding;
2. Assembly and concert halls;
3. Automobile /boat/cycle /mobile home /RV /trailer: detailing, fueling and service,
repair, rental, sale, and car wash;
4. Churches and similar religious facilities;
5. Clubs, private lodges, fraternal organizations and other similar civic, charitable or
social organizations;
6. Community residences: community residences for the handicapped and
emergency shelters;
7. Day care centers;
8. Eating and drinking establishments: bars, nightclubs, restaurants, coffee bars;
9. Financial services, including banks, credit unions, and savings and loans;
10. Food and storage lockers;
11. Funeral homes;
12. Greenhouses (commercial), tree nurseries, and similar uses, provided no
building is located closer than 100 feet to any property line abutting a residential
district;
13. Guide services, including fishing, hunting, and tour;
14. Industry, light: cabinetry, gunsmithing, printing, taxidermy, machine shops, sheet
metal work, and welding;
15. Lodging: Boarding houses, recreational lodges, hotels, and motels;
16. Museums and art galleries;
17. Offices: general, medical, and public service;
18. Parking, commercial lots;
19. Parks and day -use playgrounds;
20. Personal services: art studios, barbers, beauticians, dressmakers, dry cleaners,
fitness centers, self - service laundries, tailors, and tanning salons;
21. Recreation facilities, indoor: arcades, billiards, bowling alleys, skating rinks,
racquetball and handball courts, and recreation centers;
22. Recreation facilities, outdoor: miniature golf;
23. Repair services: electronics, home appliances, musical instruments, plumbing
and heating, and small engines;
24. Retail sales;
25. Schools: dance, elementary, secondary, colleges, vocational /technical;
26. Theaters; and
27. Wholesale sales.
C. Conditional Uses and Structures. The following conditional uses and structures may
be approved in the C District, subject to the general standards and procedures found
in Section 17.10.400, Conditional Uses, any specific standards cited with the uses,
and any special conditions imposed by the commission:
1. Animal care: outside animal boarding and commercial kennels;
2. Boat mooring basins and launching sites;
3. Campgrounds, including recreational vehicle campgrounds;
4. Community residences: correctional community residential centers;
5. Dwellings: single - family, two - family, multi - family, condominiums, townhouses, and
bed and breakfast establishments that do not qualify as a permitted accessory use,
provided the use meets the following minimum standards, and any additional
conditions imposed by the Commission:
a. Maximum lot coverage: 30 percent;
b. Minimum Yards: front yard - 20 feet, rear yard - 20 feet, side yard - 10 feet;
c. Off - street parking and loading shall be provided as required in Section
17.10.330; and
d. Landscaping shall be provided as required in Section 17.10.335
6. Industry, heavy; provided no building is located closer than one hundred feet to
any property line abutting a residential district, there are no noxious substances
maintained on site in containers larger than household user size, and there are no
explosives maintained on site. Such uses shall be subject to the establishment of
restrictions, safeguards, and conditions which mitigate the operating characteristics
of the use to the extent that the use will be compatible with other permitted uses in
the district and will have no adverse effects upon uses in the other zoning districts;
7. Institutions, handicapped;
8. Institutions, health care: nursing or convalescent homes;
9. Lumber yards, provided no building is located closer than one hundred feet to any
property line abutting a residential district;
10. Storage yards, whether such yard is principal or accessory, for the storage of
building materials, impounded vehicles, construction equipment, and machinery;
provided such yards are sight- obscured from any street with dense evergreens or
decorative fence or wall not less than eight feet in height;
11. Transmission towers, including radio, television, and other communications,
provided a setback equal to the height of the tower or structure is maintained on
all sides of the structure and no approach or other airspace zones of an airport
are penetrated; and
12. Warehousing, including storage, trucking, transfer; provided no building is
located closer than one hundred feet to any property line abutting a residential
district and is sight- obscured from any street with dense evergreens or decorative
fence or wall not less than six feet in height; and those areas which have outside
storage are sight- obscured from any street with dense evergreens or decorative
fence or wall not less than eight feet in height.
17.10.260 Limited Commercial District (LC). N=
A. Intent. The Limited Commercial District (LC) is intended to provide transition areas
between commercial and residential districts by allowing low volume business, mixed
residential, and other compatible uses which complement and do not materially detract
from the uses allowed within adjacent districts.
B. Permitted Principal Uses and Structures. The following principal uses and structures
are permitted in the LC District, provided the gross floor area for some uses as noted
below does not exceed one thousand three hundred square feet, subject to the general
standards provided in subsection E of this section:
1. Community residences: community residences for the handicapped and
emergency shelters;
2. Day care centers;
3. Dwellings: single - family, two- family, multi - family, condominiums, and townhouses;
4. Eating and drinking establishments (not to exceed one thousand three hundred
sq. ft.): restaurants and coffee bars;
5. Guide services, including fishing, hunting, and tour (not to exceed one thousand
three hundred sq. ft.);
6. Industry, light (not to exceed one thousand three hundred sq. ft.): gunsmithing,
printing and taxidermy;
7. Lodging: bed and breakfast establishments and boarding houses;
8. Offices: general, medical and public service;
9. Parking, commercial lots;
10. Parks and day -use playgrounds;
11. Personal services (not to exceed one thousand three hundred sq. ft.): art studios,
barbers, beauticians, dressmakers, dry cleaner and self - service laundry, fitness
centers, photographic studios, tailors and tanning salons;
12. Repair services (not to exceed one thousand three hundred sq. ft.): electronics,
home appliances, musical instruments, plumbing and heating and small engines;
and
13. Retail sales (not to exceed one thousand three hundred sq. ft.).
C. Conditional Uses and Structures. The following conditional uses and structures may
be approved in the LC District, subject to the general standards and procedures found
in Section 17.10.400, Conditional Uses, any specific standards cited with the uses, and
any special conditions imposed by the Commission:
1. Any permitted use in this district with a size limitation may be approved as a
conditional use if its size exceeds one thousand three hundred square feet;
2. Animal care: boarding, commercial kennels, and veterinarian clinics /hospitals;
3. Boat mooring basins and launching sites;
4. Churches and similar religious facilities;
5. Clubs, private lodges, fraternal organizations and other similar civic, charitable or
social establishments;
6. Community residences: correctional community residential centers;
7. Funeral homes;
8. Institutions, handicapped;
9. Institutions, health care: nursing or convalescent homes;
10. Lodging: recreation lodges, hotels, and motels;
11. Museums and art galleries;
12. Recreation facilities: miniature golf;
13. Schools: dance, elementary, secondary, colleges, vocational /technical; and
14. Theaters.
17.10.275 Institutional District (INS)..,--
A. Intent. The intent of the Institutional (INS) District is to provide an area in which
government and tax exempt institutions can offer social and cultural amenities to the
citizens of the community.
B. Permitted Principal Uses and Structures. The following principal uses and structures
are permitted in the INS District:
1) Cemeteries;
2) Churches and similar religious facilities;
3) Community Residences: community residences for the handicapped and
emergency shelters;
4) Day care centers;
5) Museums and art galleries;
6) Offices: public service;
7) Parks and day -use playgrounds; and
8) Schools: elementary, secondary, college, vocational /technical.
C. Conditional Uses and Structures. The following conditional uses and structures may
be approved in the INS District, subject to the general standards and procedures
found in Section 17.10.400, Conditional Uses, any specific standards listed below,
and special conditions imposed by the Commission:
1) Airports and related services;
2) Assembly and concert halls;
3) Clubs, private lodges, fraternal organizations, and other similar civic, charitable or
social establishments;
4) Community residences: correctional community residential centers;
5) Dwellings: single - family;
6) Institutions, handicapped;
7) Institutions, health care: hospitals and nursing or convalescent homes;
8) Offices: medical;
9) Recreation facilities, indoor: recreation centers and sports arenas;
10) Recreation facilities, Racquet and handball court; and
11) Transmission towers, including radio, television, and other communications,
provided a setback equal to the height of the tower or structure is maintained on
all sides of the structure and no approach or other airspace zones of an airport
are penetrated.
17.10.400 Conditional uses..,;
A. Intent. The intent of this section is to allow special uses and associated structures
which may be compatible with principal permitted uses in specific zoning districts,
through the approval of a conditional use, if certain standards and conditions are met.
B. Special Definition. "Conditional use" means a use or associated structure which,
owing to some special characteristics attendant to its operation or installation, is
permitted in a district subject to special standards and conditions in addition to the
usual requirements for the district in which the conditional use may be located.
C. When Required. Approval of a conditional use and the issuance of a Zoning Permit
shall be required for any of the following:
1) Conditional use listed within any of the zoning districts;
2) Planned unit developments;
3) Any specific use requiring such approval within the Kenai River Overlay District;
4) Unlisted uses; or
5) Natural resource extraction.
6.) Small wind energy systems, if required under 17.10.375
D. Application Procedure. A site plan and an application for a Zoning Permit shall be
prepared and submitted for approval as required in Section 17.10.415, Site Plan
Review, and Section 17.10.420, Zoning Permit.
E. General Standards. All of the following standards shall be met before a conditional
use approval may be granted:
1) The use and the development scheme for the use is in harmony with the intent of
the zoning district in which it is to be located and with any specific standards
associated with that conditional use within the district;
2) The use is in harmony with the general standards of this zoning code, the
Comprehensive Plan, and surrounding land uses;
3) The use shall be so located and arranged on the site to avoid significant noise,
glare, odor or other nuisances and dangers;
4) The development of the use shall not significantly impair the value of the adjoining
property;
5) The size and scale of the use is such that it shall be adequately served by existing
public services and facilities; and
6) Granting of the conditional use shall not be harmful to the public safety, health, or
welfare.
North Star Borough - Chapter 18.06
DEFINITIONS
"Group Home" means a residential facility located in a dwelling or other structure
intended for human habitation, the principal use of which is to serve as a place for
persons seeking assistance, rehabilitation, recovery or self -help, except for persons
defined in this section as a family.
Permitted: Multi - Family Professional Districts:
MFO MULTIPLE - FAMILY RESIDENTIAL /PROFESSIONAL OFFICE DISTRICT
18.28.010 Intent - This district is intended for a combination of very high density
residential, quasi - residential, and nonresidential development that maintains the high
density residential and nonresidential nature of this district. This district is intended for
areas where community sewer and water systems are available.
Not permitted: Residential Districts:
SF -20, SF -10 AND SF -5 SINGLE - FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS
18.22.010 Intent - These districts are intended for low and medium density residential
development and other uses which maintain the low and medium density residential
nature of the district. These districts are intended for areas where community sewer and
water systems are available.
Permitted with CUP: Multi - Family & Rural /Agricultural Districts:
RA -40, RA -20, RA -10 AND RA -5 RURAL AND AGRICULTURAL DISTRICTS,
RF -4 AND RF -2 RURAL FARMSTEAD DISTRICT, RE -4 AND RE -2 RURAL ESTATE
DISTRICTS & RR RURAL RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT
18.14.010, 18.16.010, 18.18.010 & 18.20.010 Intent - These districts are intended for
agricultural uses of land for very low density residential development. These districts are
intended for areas where community sewer and water systems are unavailable
MF MULTIPLE - FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT
18.26.010 Intent - This district is intended for high density residential development
provided through a variety of housing types and other types of quasi - residential and
public use development maintaining the high density residential nature of the district.
This district is intended for areas where community sewer and water systems are
available.
Not Permitted in Commercial Zones
Matsu Borough - Chapter 17.18.005
DEFINITIONS
"Group Home" means a legally licensed residential use which is a home for the elderly,
or which serves as a dwelling for persons seeking care, rehabilitation or recovery from
any physical, mental or emotional infirmity, for rehabilitation of criminals, or any
combination thereof, in a family setting.
Permitted By Conditional Use: 17.18.060
Municipality of Anchorage
From: "McConnell, Erika B." <McConnellEB cr ci.anchora e ak us>
Date: August 15, 2013,12:01:30 PM AKDT
To: 'Nancy Carver' <ncarver@ci.kenai.ak.us>
Subject: RE: Transitional housing
Hi Nancy,
Sorry to take a couple of days to reply -- here's our definition of "transitional living facility," and
other related information:
Definition (21.35.020)
Transitional living facility means temporary housing with services to assist homeless persons and
families to prepare for and obtain permanent housing within 24 months. The facility provides 24-
hour a day, seven days a week programmatic assistance, or services, for self sufficiency skills to
its tenants, and may provide services such as, but not limited to, on -site assistance to its tenants
in learning independent living skills (shopping, cooking, financial budgeting, preparing for job
interviews, preparing resumes, and similar skills) and referral to off -site education and
employment resources (GED completion, job training computer training, employment services,
and the like) to assist the tenants in becoming financially self sustaining.
Transitional living facilities are permitted uses in the R -3 district (multiple - family residential),
the R -4 district (multiple - family residential), the R -O district (residential - office), the 13-113
district (community business), and the B -3 district (general business). They are by -right uses in
those districts, without any sort of Planning Department review.
Other types of similar uses, such as homeless shelters, correctional community residential
centers, habilitative care, and severe alcohol dependent housing, are more tightly regulated,
usually requiring a conditional use. I've included those definitions below, and can provide more
info about them if you want.
I hope this helps -- please let me know if you have other questions...
Cheers,
Erika
Correctional community residential center and CCRC mean a community residential facility,
other than a correctional institution, for the short-term or temporary detention of prisoners in
transition from a correctional institution, performing restitution, or undergoing rehabilitation
and/or recovery from a legal infirmity except prisoners who pose a threat or danger to the public
for violent or sexual misconduct without imprisonment or physical confinement under guard or
24 -hour physical supervision. The determination of whether a prisoner poses a threat or danger
Municipality of Anchorage
to the public for violent or sexual misconduct without imprisonment or physical confinement
under guard or 24 -hour physical supervision shall be made by the commissioner of corrections
for state prisoners and the United States attorney general or the director, bureau of prisons for
federal prisoners.
Habilitative care facility means a residential facility, other than a correctional center or
transitional living facility, the principal use or goal of which is to serve as a place for persons
seeking rehabilitation or recovery from any physical, mental, or emotional infirmity, or any
combination thereof, in a family setting as part of a group rehabilitation and/or recovery program
utilizing counseling, self -help or other treatment or assistance, including, but not limited to,
substance abuse rehabilitation. Such care for persons age 18 and under, who are under the
jurisdiction of the State Division of Juvenile Justice, shall be considered habilitative care, and not
a correctional community residential center. The term "habilitative care facility" replaces the
"quasi - institutional house" previously used in this title.
Homeless and transient shelter means a facility designed to provide minimum necessities of life
on a limited, short-term basis for individuals and families during periods of dislocation or
emergency pending formulation of longer -term planning. Facility elements may include
providing the physical care required, including shelter, food, necessary medical and clothing
needs, directly or by referral to appropriate agency; and planning for more permanent solution to
the problem, including contact with community resources for housing and employment in the
case of transients.
Severe alcohol dependent housing means a facility that provides housing 24 hours per day, other
than on a temporary basis, to seven or more persons who are severely alcohol dependent. Persons
under the jurisdiction of the courts may reside in an severe alcohol dependent housing facility. It
does not include any facility which is a correctional community residential center, residential
care facility, or habilitative care facility. The facility may provide services accessory to the
housing such as an on -site resident manager responsible for safety monitoring, property
maintenance and monitoring, and house rules management, as well as residential support staff
tasked to provide assistance with daily /independent living skills training and to provide referrals
for services such as mental health, rehabilitation, medical, and other similar services. Food
service, laundry, community recreation room, and other such residential - related services and
facilities may be provided on -site to residents of the facility only. Group rehabilitation shall not
be provided within the facility as a primary use, but may be provided on an occasional basis,
only to residents of the facility, if it is not a requirement of residing in the facility. Case
management may occur on an individual basis in a community room or private dwelling unit or
sleeping room.
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July /August 2013 The Western Planner
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SR 520 Bridge over Lake Washington is causing an uproar among Mercer Island residents. (Click here to read
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8/21/2013
Home for Anchorage street inebriates gets hearing tonight I Anchorage's Homeless I ADN... Page 1 of 4
ADN.com
Next Story >
Police identify woman found dead at Russian Jack park
�iom�e fot Anchorage street inebriates gets
daring onight
Published: July 18, 2010
KARLUK MANOR: Commission to hear arguments on former inn.
By LISA DEMER
Idemer @adn.com
A months -long battle over Anchorage's first big housing project for homeless alcoholics will come to a
head today when both sides take their arguments to the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.
At stake: A project that many advocates for the homeless say is Anchorage's best chance to get some of
the city's most vulnerable and hardest -core alcoholics off the streets and out of the parks, woods and
greenbelts, where 23 have died over the last 14 months. Most were worn down by years of hard living.
At Karluk Manor, they won't have to stop drinking, but, based on the experience of a similar program in
Seattle, they might drink less once they have a warm bed, ready meals and services on site. And backers
say they are more likely to do their drinking indoors. They will be safer and so will the neighborhood,
advocates say.
Lined up against it are nearby businesses, the Fairview Community Council and the city Planning
Department, which has recommended the commission deny the conditional use permit the project needs.
Planners say Fairview and downtown already have more than their share of social - service programs and
other magnets for the homeless. They say the proposed location between two busy roads and near two
parks is a poor choice for housing chronic alcoholics.
Mayor Dan Sullivan hasn't gotten involved in the permit, but the city planners who oppose the location
were aware he had concerns about the site, and that factored into their recommendation, said Planning
Director Jerry Weaver.
The housing project is championed by Rural CAP, which already operates smaller scale low- income
housing and a residential program in Mountain View for chronic alcoholics. Rural CAP proposes to turn
the old Red Roof Inn into Karluk Manor -- 48 efficiency units with private bathrooms, microwave ovens
and mini refrigerators.
Gambling that the city permission will follow, Rural CAP paid $1.1 million for the property, along Karluk
Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. It was awarded $3.5 million in state housing grants to cover the
purchase and renovation costs and help run the program for three years. But it won't get the money
without the city permit.
Melinda Freeman, director of Rural CAP in Anchorage, said Karluk Manor will improve the neighborhood
by targeting homeless alcoholics now on the streets.
http: / /www.adn.coml20 1 0 /07/1 8/1 3 72069/ home - for- inebriates- gets- a- hearing.htmi 8/14/2013
Home for Anchorage street inebriates gets hearing tonight I Anchorage's Homeless I ADN... Page 2 of 4
"They already are there. I see them all the time. We have informed the Fairview Community Council and
the neighborhood that these will be our top priority tenants, to take them out of Fairview (streets) and
safely place them in housing," Freemon said.
The goal is to save lives, she said, and the old Red Roof Inn is the best affordable site Rural CAP found
after a couple of years of looking.
"Some of these people are in Fairview. There's no question," said Heidi Heinrich, an opponent who works
as a general manager of the Lucky Wishbone restaurant across Fifth Avenue.
Many end up there because police and the Community Service Patrol bring them to the sleep -off center
next to the city jail, she said. When they sober up, Heinrich said, they are let out on the streets of
Fairview, not taken back to where they were found.
"We're not NIMBYs," Heinrich said. "It's not a question of we don't want them in our backyard. It's that we
have enough in our backyard already."
CITY OFFICES CONFLICT
Karluk Manor would serve as Anchorage's first big Housing First effort. The premise is that a place to live
is therapeutic in itself.
Backers say it should save money by reducing the need for emergency room visits, jail stays and
Community Service Patrol pickups. That's what happened when Seattle launched its 1811 Eastlake
program.
Police, fire, parks and traffic officials said they had no objections and even saw some benefit.
However, city planners oppose the location. One issue they raised is the project's proximity to two parks.
A new city law setting standards for "severe alcohol dependent housing" says such projects must be 500
feet away, unless the planning commission makes an exception.
Planners weren't troubled by a small park on Fifth Avenue. But about 430 feet south of Sixth Avenue, the
Fairview Lions Park is frequented by children, as well as transients, the planners noted.
Rural CAP has volunteered to adopt the park, keep it clean and check it at least every third day. But
planners say the Karluk Manor operators won't be able to watch it 24 -7 and urged the commission not to
grant an exception.
The planners' position differs from that of parks officials.
Karluk Manor "should have a positive impact by reducing the frequency of chronically homeless staying
on or in park facilities," John Rodda, director of city Parks and Recreation Department, wrote in an e-mail
to the city Department of Neighborhoods, which oversaw a separate environmental review.
As to traffic, the city's recently retired traffic engineer, Bob Kniefel, told the department that from 1998 to
2008, only two crashes involving pedestrians occurred around Karluk and Fifth and Sixth avenues. That's
a low rate, he said. Adding 38 more residents to the area -- the plan actually is for 48 -- wouldn't make a
difference, he noted.
Police Chief Mark Mew and Deputy Fire Chief Douglas Schrage also didn't anticipate problems.
City planners point out that Karluk Manor is along "a known migration corridor for the homeless." Housing
for such homeless alcoholics should be located away from where the residents' friends hang out, the staff
report said.
WORRIES IN FAIRVIEW
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The old Red Roof Inn is in a business district. Nearby are an Allstate Insurance office, the iconic Lucky
Wishbone, a print shop, a florist, bail bondsmen, a check cashing outlet, Kings' X Lounge, and the Alaska
Sales & Service car dealership.
Copper River Seafoods recently moved its corporate offices next door. It had been interested in buying
the motel to house seafood processing workers and employees in training.
There's high density housing and private homes to the south but no one lives within a couple blocks of the
site.
Planners said Karluk Manor wouldn't improve the neighborhood aesthetics. A Rural CAP rendering of its
finished project shows a freshly painted, newly landscaped building, which isn't the case with most of the
older businesses nearby.
"The Karluk Manor project would include the complete rehabilitation of an existing rundown hotel. When
all is said and done, the building will appear virtually new and will be an attractive addition to the
community," Tim Potter, a planner with engineering firm Dowl HKM who is consulting for Rural CAP,
wrote to the city.
Planners say Fairview and downtown already have "a highly disproportionate significant number of
homeless related support services." There's Bean's Cafe, Brother Francis Shelter, the sleep -off center,
the Downtown Soup Kitchen; and other magnets like the downtown job center and a Carrs grocery store
and Oaken Keg liquor store at 13th Avenue and Gambell Street, planners said.
"Putting 48 end -stage alcoholics in this environment with the expectation that they will drink less is like
putting someone with an affinity for cookies in the middle of a bakery and expecting them to lose weight,"
Fairvew Community Council president Sharon Chamard wrote in a public comment on the permit request.
The Seattle project is in a well -to -do commercial area, not near where homeless people hang out, she
wrote.
Freemen said social services are all over Anchorage. Rural CAP operates housing in Mountain View,
Russian Jack and the Taku - Campbell area. And residential alcohol and drug treatment centers are
scattered from West Anchorage to East Anchorage to the north end of town in Mountain View, according
to the city's own map.
THESHOWDOWN
In May, Sullivan's homeless leadership team unanimously recommended the city and the mayor support
Karluk Manor as the city's initial big Housing First project. The mayor officially doesn't have a role in the
project approval but speaks up when asked.
"I'm still holding my mind open about the concept of wet housing, but in terms of Karluk Manor, I still am
not really comfortable with that location," Sullivan said in May.
Freemon says Rural CAP's priority is safety for tenants, its staff and the neighborhood. It will staff Karluk
Manor around the clock, install security cameras, require residents to sign in and out, and put strict limits
on visitors, including requiring them to leave by 8 p.m. No guests will be allowed if either the tenant or
guest appears drunk, and guests can't bring in alcohol, under the house rules.
The agency said it is making changes to address concerns. It won't allow violent offenders or sex
offenders, and meals will be provided seven days a week to better keep people on site. It will only serve
people who were picked up in Fairview to begin with.
While Karluk Manor may not be a perfect location, it's not bad, and for hard -core street alcoholics, "we
have to come up with something different. We've done the same thing for a long time," said Susan
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Bomalaski, executive director of Catholic Social Services, which runs Brother Francis Shelter, which
provides overnight shelter for the homeless.
Both sides are marshaling forces for tonight's planning commission meeting.
Hundreds of people have written in comments on the city website, with those supporting the project
running ahead as of the middle of last week. But those against it include state Rep. Les Gara and Sen.
Johnny Ellis, who note the safety concerns from neighbors. They represent Fairview in the Legislature.
Heinrich and others printed fliers and posted them door to door trying to rally the opposition. They wore
big buttons indicating their opposition at a meeting Thursday of the advisory Housing and Neighborhood
Development Commission, which reversed an earlier vote and decided to support the project.
Rural CAP submitted a 216 -page response to the planning staff report that includes photos, crime reports
and numerous letters urging support.
Either side could appeal the planning commission decision to the city's Board of Adjustment and from
there to Anchorage Superior Court.
"At this point, we don't have a plan B," Freemon said. "We will keep moving forward with our efforts to
open Karluk Manor, whatever it takes."
Hearing at 6:30 p.m. in the library The Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission will take up the issue
of a conditional use permit for the proposed Karluk Manor at a special hearing to start at 6:30 p.m. today.
The commission meets in the Assembly Chambers at Loussac Library.
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