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Record of Proceedings

Urban Design Commission Meeting – September 11, 2025: Variance Approval for Camp Bow Outdoor Play Areas

Assembly & Committee Meetings — Thursday, September 11, 2025
BodyAnchorage, Alaska
SessionAssembly & Committee Meetings
DateThursday, September 11, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 27:43

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:09

Good evening.

0:10

It is 6 30 p.m.

0:11

September 10th, 2025, and the meeting of the Urban Design Commission will now come to order.

0:16

May we please have a roll call?

0:18

Edith McKee here.

0:20

Alison Lenny.

0:23

Here.

0:23

Julia Foland.

0:25

Here.

0:26

Alexandra Nanello.

0:29

Here.

0:30

Ryan Lucas.

0:32

Here.

0:33

James Cullas.

0:36

Here.

0:36

Monica Sullivan and Trevor Strait are excused.

0:39

You have a quorum.

0:40

Thank you.

0:41

Thank you.

0:43

May we get a motion to approve the minutes from July 9th, 2025.

1:00

I can move.

1:05

You can do the hands.

1:06

You just can't do it.

1:11

We need a second from somebody on the phone, please.

1:21

All second.

1:25

Thank you.

1:26

Are there any corrections to the minutes?

1:33

Are there any objections to the minutes being approved?

1:39

Hearing none, the minutes are approved.

1:41

We'll next move on to the special order of business.

1:44

Do we have any disclosures tonight?

1:49

As Commissioner Foland, I was absent from the July 9th, 2025 meeting and will abstain from voting on the consent agenda.

1:58

Thank you.

1:58

Any others?

2:01

Yes, this is Commissioner Lenig.

2:03

I was also absent for the July 9th meeting.

2:06

However, I did watch the video and audio link for the meeting, so I can vote on the consent agenda if directed to do so.

2:15

Thanks.

2:16

Thank you.

2:21

Do I need it, Director?

2:24

Are there any other disclosures?

2:32

Okay.

2:33

May we have a motion to approve resolution 2025-004 and 005 on the consent agenda.

2:49

She can't.

2:59

This is Commissioner Lenig.

3:00

I'll make a motion to approve.

3:02

Thank you.

3:03

I can motion a second.

3:04

This is Allie Nanalo.

3:06

Thank you.

3:07

Would anyone like to pull an item from the consent agenda for discussion or corrections?

3:17

Okay.

3:18

Hearing none, the consent agenda is approved.

3:23

We don't have any unfinished businesses or items on the regular agenda this evening.

3:27

Therefore, we will move on to the public hearing and I will read the public process.

3:32

The procedure by which the public may speak to the Urban Design Commission at its meeting is one after the staff presentation is completed on public hearing items.

3:41

The chair will ask for public testimony on the issue.

3:44

Two, persons who wish to testify will follow the time limits established in the Urban Design Commission rules of procedure.

3:51

Petitioners, including all his, her, their representatives, will have 10 minutes.

3:55

Rebuttal by any by the petitioner may be allowed when time has been reserved.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning█████████████████████████████████████████████57%
Animal Welfare█████████████████22%
Procedural█████████████████21%
Summary of Proceedings

Urban Design Commission Meeting – September 11, 2025

The Urban Design Commission convened on September 11, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. to consider a single public hearing item: a request for a design variance to allow three outdoor play areas for an animal boarding facility (Camp Bow) at the corner of Burrowwood Street and East 64th Avenue. The commission unanimously approved the variance after finding all eight standards met. No public testimony was offered.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes from July 9, 2025, and Resolutions 2025-004 and 2025-005 were approved by unanimous consent. Commissioner Julia Foland and Commissioner Alison Lenig disclosed they were absent from the July 9 meeting; Lenig noted she reviewed the video and could vote. The consent agenda was adopted without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public testified. The planning department mailed 112 public hearing notices on August 12, 2025, and received no comments. The Abbott Loop Community Council did not provide input.

Discussion Items

Case 2025-0103 – Design Variance for Camp Bow Animal Boarding Facility

  • Petitioner: Dave Whitfield of RM Consultants, representing Gordon Sloan and Camp Bow. The request sought a variance from AMC 21.05.050B.2.b.i, which requires all animal boarding facilities to be within a completely enclosed building when within 100 feet of a residential use. The property is zoned I-1 Light Industrial; the proposed building is 148 feet from the nearest residential lot line, and the outdoor play areas are 228 feet from the nearest residential lot line. The petitioner argued the intent of the code—to separate noisy animal activity from residences—is met despite not meeting the exact letter of the code.
  • Staff Report: Presented by Mr. Hatcher. Staff found all eight variance standards (A through H) satisfied. Key points: the outdoor play areas are on the north side, farthest from residential zones; an 8-foot solid vinyl fence will be installed; the nearest residential structure is approximately 315 feet away; no adverse impacts to adjacent industrial/commercial properties; the facility is a permitted use in I-1.
  • Commission Questions: Commissioners inquired about animal capacity (94 kennels, max dogs could be higher if doubled), outdoor hours (6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., supervised only, primarily for bathroom breaks), and the lack of public comment despite notices. Petitioner confirmed dogs would not be left unattended overnight.
  • Commission Deliberation: Commissioner Foland moved to approve the variance, citing all criteria met. Commissioner Lenig seconded, noting the variance meets the intent of Title 21. Chair McKee added findings: over 112 notices sent with no objections, the facility is by-right in the district, and the design directs noise away from residences.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Approve Case 2025-0103 (design variance) passed unanimously, 6-0 (Commissioners McKee, Lenig, Foland, Nanello, Lucas, Cullas in favor; none opposed; none abstaining). No conditions beyond the staff-recommended conditions (included in the packet).
  • The meeting adjourned at 6:58 p.m.

Note: The meeting transcript states September 10, 2025, but the user-provided timestamp indicates September 11, 2025. This summary uses the provided date.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. It is 6 30 p.m. September 10th, 2025, and the meeting of the Urban Design Commission will now come to order. May we please have a roll call? Edith McKee here. Alison Lenny. Here. Julia Foland. Here. Alexandra Nanello. Here. Ryan Lucas. Here. James Cullas. Here. Monica Sullivan and Trevor Strait are excused. You have a quorum. Thank you. Thank you. May we get a motion to approve the minutes from July 9th, 2025. I can move. You can do the hands. You just can't do it. We need a second from somebody on the phone, please. All second. Thank you. Are there any corrections to the minutes? Are there any objections to the minutes being approved? Hearing none, the minutes are approved. We'll next move on to the special order of business. Do we have any disclosures tonight? As Commissioner Foland, I was absent from the July 9th, 2025 meeting and will abstain from voting on the consent agenda. Thank you. Any others? Yes, this is Commissioner Lenig. I was also absent for the July 9th meeting. However, I did watch the video and audio link for the meeting, so I can vote on the consent agenda if directed to do so. Thanks. Thank you. Do I need it, Director? Are there any other disclosures? Okay. May we have a motion to approve resolution 2025-004 and 005 on the consent agenda. She can't. This is Commissioner Lenig. I'll make a motion to approve. Thank you. I can motion a second. This is Allie Nanalo. Thank you.

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