Planning Commission welcomes new member
Last Tuesday the Nome Planning Commission swore in new member Adam Lust at the start of their regular meeting.
“I’m looking forward to learning a lot and coming up with good solutions that are beneficial for everyone, specifically to the downtown zoning district,” Lust said during the meeting.
Mayor John Handeland also appointed Rhonda West to the Planning Commission to fill the second vacant seat and the council approved the appointment. West, however, was sick and could not attend the meeting. She will be sworn in at the next regular meeting.
Rezoning
The meeting included a follow up discussion from the January meeting with City Planner Erin Reinders about rezoning Front Street.
Reinders reviewed the changes initially agreed upon, one being to reduce the setback of buildings to zero feet. The commission also discussed allowing conditional use for commercial utility facilities, snow dump and storage sites and private storage for business, commercial and retail sites associated with residential use. Conditional use will allow the commission to be the deciding factor in requests for aforementioned uses.
Reinders brought up the topic of geographic limits. Originally, the commission agreed the zone would go as far west as the Mini Convention Center and as far east as Steadman, not going north of Front Street. When looking at the existing zoning the committee noticed the commercial zone went past University of Alaska’s Northwest Campus to the west. After some deliberation they decided to include that area in the
new zoning.
Lust brought up the question of long-term usage of South Front Street, particularly the area in a flood zone. “Forty years from now should we be encouraging building use on the south side of Front Street?” Lust asked, “And have we talked to any of the property owners in this area to see what their vision is?”
Commission Chair Ken Hughes said it just means things built in that area need to be established with a higher standard to prevent damage. Hughes also shared his hypothetical vision for a developed walkway leading to the seawall, allowing for more community friendly access to Nome’s beach. Lust shared in the ideation, saying he pictures “one big park” in the south side of Front Street area.
City Manager Glenn Steckman spoke up about the City of Nome working with buyers of the Nugget Inn hotel who are being “carefully watched by FEMA” during the rehabilitation of the damaged building. “If we do something wrong, we could impact our community rating,” Steckman said.
Reinders concluded with saying the next steps for the new zoning plan, now that the commission is clear on the boundaries, is to get the Nome community involved.
Other business
Delivering the city manager’s report, Steckman said the City is having meetings to prepare for the 3D printed housing project to take place this summer. He presented the commission with two design options being considered, both are three-bedroom, one bath. One house has a garage option.
Steckman brought up property and sales tax. “I know there’s been a comment recently from some members of this commission about the city not being business friendly. Normally we try to work with the property owner, setting that owner on a reimbursement plan to pay the city back,” Steckman said.
In the circumstance the city manager was referring to, which he did not specify, the business collected sales tax on behalf of the city and failed to remit sales tax. Steckman said violation of city code is one of the city’s biggest issues slowing people down from improving their property. “We’re not here to shut down businesses. We want to get it done,” Steckman said.
Building Inspector Cliff McHenry said the building abatement list will be available later this month. Commission member Melissa Ford inquired about Nome’s ordinance that provides a partial, temporary tax exemption for modifications to existing or construction of new residential housing structures that increase housing and the tax base of the city. Ford asked about what the city has done to inform people of the ordinance. Steckman said it was posted in the paper.
McHenry said qualifying buildings
are not limited to the homes on the abatement list.
To apply for the tax exemption, inquirers must write a letter to the city manager to obtain an application.
The meeting concluded with the commission welcoming their new member and looking forward to the continued work on the Front Street Rezoning.
council reviewed the city’s legislative priorities to be communicated to the State of Alaska. In its regular session, the council voted to adopt ten priorities “worthy of advocacy to State of Alaska legislative and administrative leaders.”
The first priority is to seek $130 million from the state for phase 2 and 3 of the Port of Nome expansion. “This is a HUGE national infrastructure project, which will expand on the support of commercial fishing industry, driving economic development across the region with sustainable job, increased food security, enhanced domain awareness and preparedness, and do so without harming the natural environment through maritime presence and enforcement,” claims the requesting document that was included in the council packet.
The second priority is to create state incentives for new housing development. “The Alaska Legislature needs to develop a financial incentive plan to encourage the private sector to invest in our communities beyond the incentives able to be offered by local communities,” reads the city’s request.
Priority number 3 is the relocation of the Nome Joint Utilities Tank Farm to the pad immediately next to the power plant on Port Road. The estimated cost is $18 million and the city request $14 million from the state. “Anticipated increases in demand for power in association with the Arctic Deep Draft port at Nome and other economic development projects on the horizon, Nome is looking to be proactive in avoiding further annual maintenance outlays,” says the accompanying document.
The fourth priority is a request for water and wastewater improvements and to address the “failing sections of water and wastewater mains that are experiencing a high rate of failure and leakage due to the effects of climate change, which is thawing and settling ice-rich permafrost beneath the pipes.”
Priority nr. 5 is a local in-patient treatment facility for alcohol and substance misuse. Priority nr. 6 requests road paving and dust control at a cost pegged at $5 million. Priority nr, 7 is improvements to the Emergency Shelter, which is the Rec Center.
The eighth priority is to cover the ice rink next to the Rec Center to shield it from wind and blowing snow, for which Nome seeks a state grant in the amount of $1.4 million. Priority nr. 9 ask for $167,000 to cap and resurface the basketball court at Steadman and priority nr. 10 is to support new teacher and public safety employee housing.
In the city manager report, Glenn Steckman told the Council that he will recommend the hire of a new city clerk candidate, possibly for the next council meeting to decide.
He updated the council on the Historic Preservation Plan that had not been adopted since 2019 when issues were raised that the Alaska Native perspective was not adequately reflected in the plan. Council member Scot Henderson asked the updated plan to be taken to the Planning Commission before it comes back to the Council for adoption.
In an update on how negotiations between the city and Norton Sound Health Corporation are coming along in regard to the take-over of the ambulance service by NSHC,
Steckman said that there is no agreement yet. He said the hospital wants to have an on-call fire fighter to respond to calls as well, and that a police officer would assist them on calls. “These are things I don’t see how we can guarantee,” Steckman said. The hospital, having stopped all subsidies in form of materials, medication and the use of their medical director for ambulance calls, said it would charge the city $1,500 per month for the Nome Volunteer Ambulance Department to use their medical director, as is required by the state.
The negotiations with NSHC and the ambulance service take-over were the topic addressed in executive session after the regular meeting. Council member Cameron Piscoya, also a NSHC board member, recused himself from the discussion.
In other business, the council learned from a letter from the Dept. of Commerce, Community and Economic Development that the official Nome population is determined to be 3,506 people.