Proposal would add public oversight to some new Mat-Su housing projects

What you need to know:

• A proposed rule requiring a public hearing before developers can build most new duplexes and multifamily dwellings in Mat-Su is set to go before the Assembly early next year. If approved, the measure would make such developments the only type of building construction in the borough to require both a permit and a public hearing.
• While the measure is intended to allow residents to weigh in on construction in their neighborhoods, planning officials said the feedback is unlikely to affect whether a construction permit is ultimately issued.
• The borough Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Assembly reject the proposal because it would add new barriers to home construction. An Assembly hearing and vote on the measure has not yet been scheduled but is expected early next year.

PALMER – A proposed rule requiring the Mat-Su Borough to hold public hearings before allowing developers to construct most new duplexes and multifamily homes will go before the Assembly early next year.

If approved, the measure would make multifamily developments the only type of building construction in the borough to require both a public hearing and a permit. It would not add any new construction standards.

The change, proposed by Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly member Tim Hale, would give individuals the chance to comment on whether the borough should approve residential developments of more than six units per lot or new construction exceeding two dwellings per 40,000 square feet — a space slightly smaller than a football field. 

Borough code requires developers to obtain a permit for such construction by meeting certain construction requirements such as septic and parking standards and paying a $500 fee. Permits are issued within 10 days following an application review by the borough planning department. Developers are not required to notify or seek input from nearby residents before building.

If the measure is approved, a public hearing would be added to the process and held before a permit is issued, although what is said during it would likely not affect the final decision, Borough Planning Director Alex Strawn told the Mat-Su Planning Commission during a discussion of the measure last week.

“This only changes the process,” Strawn said. “If they were going to get approved before, they would still get approved. It does not change the standards whatsoever. It will take more time to approve the permits, but it will not change the standards.”

Hale said he proposed the measure after hearing from residents who want more input on developments they view as disruptive. High-density housing can provide affordable options, he said, but it can also increase traffic and population in residential neighborhoods.

“I’ve heard a lot from the public about the borough’s lack of planning for multifamily developments and other projects near single-family neighborhoods,” Hale said. “I’m a firm believer that people have a right to say what goes on in their neighborhoods.”

Hearings could also push developers to follow the required permit process before starting construction, Hale said. That's a step that was bypassed in about a dozen recent projects, according to borough code compliance officials. Permits for those projects were obtained only after construction had begun, they said. 

Builders who start construction without a permit face fines of up to $500 per offense, compliance officials said.

While the measure is unlikely to eliminate that issue, it could draw more attention to the problem and push the Assembly to enact more stringent rules and repercussions for those who do not follow the law, Hale said.

“I think what it will do is draw more attention to the problem,” Hale said. “People will attend these public hearings, raise their concerns, and possibly elevate it to a position where the Assembly might be willing to address it.”

This year, the borough issued 34 multifamily home permits, a 30% increase from 2023 and nearly triple the number issued in 2021, according to planning department data.

Members of the planning commission said they are concerned the measure would create roadblocks to the construction process, and voted unanimously to recommend that the Assembly reject it.

Strawn said a new hearing requirement would significantly increase the staff work needed to process applications and add weeks of delays to issuing new permits because of public notice requirements. To offset the additional workload, the borough would likely need to increase the permit cost to $1,500, he told the commission. 

Most home construction in the borough does not require permits or oversight, Strawn said in an interview. While some land use steps, such as lot subdivision, include a public hearing as part of a borough board review process, gravel pits and new cell towers are currently the only types of development that require public hearings as part of an administrative review.

Under the proposed rule, hearings would be held before the planning director, a position Strawn currently holds. Each person would be given three minutes to speak, and a decision on the permit would typically be made during the same meeting after public comment. Decisions could be appealed to the borough’s Board of Adjustments and Appeals, Strawn said.

The hearing before the Assembly has not yet been scheduled but is expected early next year, Hale said.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at abushatz@matsusentinel.com