Planning commission discusses setbacks on Front Street

Nome’s Planning Commission took on the topic of setbacks on Front Street during a work session on their February 1, 2022 meeting. The seemingly mundane measure of how far a building must be removed from the curb or property line could play a major role in Nome’s development.

In November, City Manager Glenn Steckman asked that thenCity Planner Eileen Bechtol and the Nome Planning Commission to review the setback requirements for Front Street and Bering Street. The request was made to Steckman by a council member who said constituents were complaining that the zoning was preventing them from purchasing property. A specific zoning designation shouldn’t prevent someone from purchasing property, but it might be a disincentive.

According to the Nome Zoning Code, approved by the Common Council in 2008, the dimensional requirements for all of the zoning districts are the same: the minimum lot area shall be 5,000 square feet; buildings shall be set back at least ten feet from all dedicated rights-of-way; buildings shall be set back at least five feet from all other lot boundary lines; buildings shall be set back at least ten feet from the top bank of any drainage ditch; and buildings shall be set back at least ten feet from a closed drainage system.

Front Street is unique in that most of the buildings are older than the Zoning Code and wouldn’t be in compliance if built today. This makes redeveloping more complicated than usual.

While property owners wishing to develop may apply for variances, one resident and one common council member remarked that getting exceptions should not be the rule, and if everyone has to apply to for a variance, then it is the rule that should be changed.

There are two more planning considerations which complicate building on Front Street: fire codes and flood plains. Setbacks between buildings are used to prevent the spread of fire should one erupt. This can also be mitigated through the use of fire break walls, or materials designed to maintain structural integrity for several hours during a fire – enough for people to evacuate without fear of the building collapsing on them. These materials, however, are expensive.

Flood plains also add a layer of cost to any potential project. Drawn by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and not by the City, banks frequently don’t loan money to people building in flood plains because of increased liability. The entire south side of Front Street is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, which mandates the purchase of flood insurance, and up to Third Avenue is mostly in a normal flood zone.

The discussion on the setbacks and rezoning of Front Street and Bering Street is ongoing, and the still has much to be fleshed out.

After the work session, the regular meeting of the NPC included discussion of a grant cancellation. Steckman explained that a grant had been cancelled for King Island signage not on the merits of the project, but because it never met the National Park Service’s requirements to begin with, and the State never should have given the grant to the City. State officials offered to work with the City to find another grant to finish the project.

Next, there is a FEMA grant to update the city’s hazard mitigation plan. It will take an estimated 400 worker-hours to update, 25 percent of which will be paid by the State, and 75 percent of which will be paid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Steckman said that these local hazard plans should be updated annually, but Nome’s was last worked on in 2017. When Commissioner Carol Piscoya asked why, Steckman said they’ve been trying to, but have had issues with staff turnover. Nome is currently also without a city planner, and according to online job boards for local governments, many communities across the state and country are in the same position.

Building Inspector Cliff McHenry gave an update. In addition to working on flood training and fire marshal training, he is working on educating the public on renter’s rights.

The City is also using a service called MyGov, which among many functions such as asset management, will create a database to streamline permitting and help applicants understand the process. For those who are doing work without permits, however, McHenry said “we need to play hardball.”

Finally, during commissioner comments, everyone had kind words of farewell for Sara Lizak, who finished her third three-year term on the planning panel.

The next meeting will be held on March 1.