Borough Subdivisions

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The Borough is taking actions to address the housing situation in Ketchikan. Staff is working on multiple projects to combat housing, including subdividing Borough lands.

High End View Lots
The Borough has certain parcels located near 17 and 18 mile North Tongass Highway that are suitable for subdivision into large waterside view lots, to be sold at market rate prices. The proceeds from the sale of lots can be used to repay the Housing Capital Fund for the upfront subdivision costs, and additional proceeds can be deposited to the Land Trust Fund.

Low Density Market Rate Lots
The Borough has parcels in the North Tongass Service Area, between Lighthouse Grocery and Whipple Creek, suitable for subdivision into residential medium lots of approximately 15,000 - 20,000 sq ft., to be sold at market rate prices. The lack of municipal water and sewer precludes low income or workforce housing. The proceeds from the sale can be used to repay the Housing Capital Fund for the upfront subdivision costs which will include road access, and additional proceeds can be used to subdivide additional areas.

Planned Unit Development
The South Tongass Service Area has municipal water and sewer, offering opportunities for affordable or workforce housing. The Borough is exploring the area behind the Fawn Mountain Elementary School for this planned development. However, the Borough is not the best entity to actually build housing, but by forming partnerships with other organizations, the Borough can facilitate housing development. In order to achieve specific price points, some form of subsidy will be required. Subsidies may include donations of land, tax abatements, or other incentives. In a planned unit development, the Borough could subdivide a large parcel, and give portions to other entities such as local or regional housing authorities for housing development.

Staff will be seeking Assembly concurrence to continue work on subdividing specific parcels of Borough land. Next steps would be working with the Planning Commission, issuing RFPs for design and subdivision, etc. Depending on the parcels selected, other issues may need to be considered. The following list provides some examples, but is by no means all-inclusive:
- Service area impacts
- Future maintenance of existing and new roads
- Financing infrastructure improvements
- Method of sale for newly created lots

The Borough is taking actions to address the housing situation in Ketchikan. Staff is working on multiple projects to combat housing, including subdividing Borough lands.

High End View Lots
The Borough has certain parcels located near 17 and 18 mile North Tongass Highway that are suitable for subdivision into large waterside view lots, to be sold at market rate prices. The proceeds from the sale of lots can be used to repay the Housing Capital Fund for the upfront subdivision costs, and additional proceeds can be deposited to the Land Trust Fund.

Low Density Market Rate Lots
The Borough has parcels in the North Tongass Service Area, between Lighthouse Grocery and Whipple Creek, suitable for subdivision into residential medium lots of approximately 15,000 - 20,000 sq ft., to be sold at market rate prices. The lack of municipal water and sewer precludes low income or workforce housing. The proceeds from the sale can be used to repay the Housing Capital Fund for the upfront subdivision costs which will include road access, and additional proceeds can be used to subdivide additional areas.

Planned Unit Development
The South Tongass Service Area has municipal water and sewer, offering opportunities for affordable or workforce housing. The Borough is exploring the area behind the Fawn Mountain Elementary School for this planned development. However, the Borough is not the best entity to actually build housing, but by forming partnerships with other organizations, the Borough can facilitate housing development. In order to achieve specific price points, some form of subsidy will be required. Subsidies may include donations of land, tax abatements, or other incentives. In a planned unit development, the Borough could subdivide a large parcel, and give portions to other entities such as local or regional housing authorities for housing development.

Staff will be seeking Assembly concurrence to continue work on subdividing specific parcels of Borough land. Next steps would be working with the Planning Commission, issuing RFPs for design and subdivision, etc. Depending on the parcels selected, other issues may need to be considered. The following list provides some examples, but is by no means all-inclusive:
- Service area impacts
- Future maintenance of existing and new roads
- Financing infrastructure improvements
- Method of sale for newly created lots

  • Subdivision Update

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    Follow-Up to Subdivision Inquiry

    At its January 2013 Policy Session, the Assembly gave staff direction on three housing related projects:

    1. To develop an RFP for workforce housing
    2. To look at developing a Revilla Road Subdivision totaling 307 acres.
    3. To look at costs and funding mechanisms to construct platted roads, provide power, and install sewer and water into the Mt. Point Subdivision

    The first two projects were combined, and an RFP was issued in July 2014. All funding required for the project would be the responsibility of the developer, with the Borough responsible for reducing carrying costs and providing the land. The RFP allowed for further examination of the site and modifications to the selected proposal based on new information regarding the site from said examination. Two proposals were received with the Ward Cove Group’s proposal primarily selected and negotiations for a land sale price began. The RFP was eventually canceled, and a sale was never brought forward for consideration. Among the issues cited by the developer was the high cost of site prep and developing access roads and utilities. Only 60% of the site was determined to be usable due to the topography, further limiting potential project opportunities.

    In late 2019/early 2020 a developer contacted the Borough requesting to purchase a 20-acre portion of land on Tract A, Parcel 30-7490-034-000, near the location of the Revilla Road RFP mentioned above. The developer was interested developing the property for housing. The developer was in the process of developing Imahoff Avenue in Wacker City, which could provide access to the 20-acre portion of Tract A that he was interested in. A preliminary survey identified more precisely where the property was located in relation to Slide Ridge, the mountainside in Tract A, and the project was determined to be unfeasible due to the topography resulting in the withdrawal of the property sale.

    The third project (Mt. Point Subdivision) had two major issues hinder the development of the subdivision. First, the high cost of road development in the subdivision which was estimated to be $10M in August 2022. Second, despite the large size of the subdivision, over 90 parcels, the access is limited. At the direction of the Assembly, staff has been working with private property owners to obtain access on the western end of the subdivision. Staff is also working with the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources to obtain ownership of the green parcels in the subdivision and to obtain a smaller DNR parcel that interrupts the right of way from Roosevelt Drive.

Page last updated: 11 Aug 2023, 03:55 PM