Anchorage Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting – March 9, 2026

The Community and Economic Development Committee of the Anchorage Assembly met on March 9, 2026, to receive departmental updates, discuss a major update to Title 23 building codes (AO 2026-33), and explore potential legislation on abandoned shopping carts. No votes were taken; a work session on the building code update was scheduled for the following day.

Regular Reports

• Community Development (Bob Dole): Emphasized that a safe house is an affordable house, noting the lessons from the 2018 earthquake where poorly built structures led to foreclosures and special assessments. He thanked over 100 industry professionals who contributed to the building code update.
• Greg Silai (Operations): Reported that the assembly approved a sole-source contract for an implementation consultant for software update; the contract was signed and a kickoff meeting will be scheduled.
• Planning Director (name not given): Announced three open positions, including a zoning and land use review manager, and provided updates on the comprehensive plan review and parks rezone project.
• Foster (Long Range Planning): Summarized multiple planning actions: updates to future land use designations, legacy rezones to eliminate old TR D2/E4 zones, omnibus technical fixes, B3 mixed-use changes, agricultural/food production ordinance, wetlands plan update, and Eagle River RFP. Noted that 11 rezones to implement the comprehensive plan have been tracked so far.
• Real Estate (Tiffany Briggs): Reported an ordinance to dispose of two parcels to Habitat for Humanity, with construction to be completed within five years. HLB survey work is 75% complete; new test drilling starts March 10; hazardous materials testing at Tosher track parcel underway.
• Public Works (Ken Colhays): Detailed snow removal operations (5–6 day crews, 3 night crews), new equipment (four sanders from the $3.5M levy, five new sidewalk tractors), speed reduction analysis for downtown, and 10–15 large downtown construction projects coordinated to minimize business disruption. Responded to complaints about DOT-maintained roads and sidewalks, acknowledging poor coordination but noting ongoing discussions with DOT. Member Brawley noted preferential staffing for Anchorage vs. other regions and called for eventual municipal takeover of winter maintenance. Chair Martinez praised the improved snow removal and asked about the relationship between speed limits and economic development.
• ACDA (Mr. Roberts): Announced AO 2026-24 (transfer of lots under old North Streams building) coming March 24; Beyond the Beige downtown grant program launching; Fireweed Flats RFP to be issued; 30 NIngra resort RFI response meeting; downtown weekend market returning Memorial Day to Labor Day with new contractors.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Wayne Baxter (Fairview resident): Spoke about bicycle and pedestrian safety, citing his experience cycling since 1990 and observations from Denmark. He emphasized that walking is safest and noted improvements like pedestrian countdown signals. The committee acknowledged his comments and highlighted ongoing safety programs (helmet giveaways, smoke detector campaigns).

Discussion Items

• Building Code Update – AO 2026-33 (Daniel King): A comprehensive update to Title 23, repealing fire inspection fees (AS 07.75) and reenacting 11 chapters of building codes. The process involved over 100 professionals starting in January 2025, meetings with the Building Board, On-Site Tech Board, and Alaska State Fire Marshal. Key changes included:
  • Administrative changes: Increased non-structural repair permit threshold from $5,000 to $10,000 (adjusted for inflation since 2003); clarified building permit requirements for mobile food units and shelter units.
  • Inspection fee restructuring: Limited commercial permits to a fixed number of inspections (based on 2020-2024 data) – 1% of permits under $1M will exceed limits; doubled residential inspections from 23 to 23 +2 per $100,000 valuation; doubled inspections on retro permits (e.g., water heater replacement) to reduce surprise fees.
  • International Building Code: Allowed single-exit buildings up to six stories with up to four dwelling units per floor (previously three stories) – supported by a request for modification from the state fire marshal; added requirements for integrated fire alarm systems.
  • Plumbing, electrical, energy code changes: Allowed horizontal wet venting and circuit bending; reduced exterior outlet requirements proportionally to parking spaces; added enhanced energy efficiency options (increased R-value from R21 to R21+2" continuous insulation) but maintained minimum standards.
  • Existing buildings: Removed 1970 cutoff for verifying roof structural capacity when increasing insulation; added exception for cold-vented roofs.
  • Residential: Allowed dwelling unit fire separation to be substituted by interconnected smoke detectors for units under 1,200 sq ft; allowed non-pressure-treated lumber for deck beams if protected (painted, capped, ice & water shield).
  • Insurance rating: Anchorage’s ISO rating dropped from 3 to 5 due to not adopting 2021 code; adopting 2024 code will restore rating to 3.
  • The presentation noted that the building safety service area (BSSA) data from University of Colorado/Notre Dame showed houses within the BSSA are more complex but not higher cost per square foot; outside the BSSA, simpler designs prevail.
• Shopping Cart Containment & Disposal Policy (Chair Martinez): Initial discussion on whether abandoned shopping carts warrant new legislation. Members expressed mixed views:
  • Member Johnson questioned the scale of the problem, noting wheel locks are becoming more common.
  • Member Brawley suggested retailers should be responsible but cautioned against shifting costs to the city.
  • Chair Martinez noted that some retailers (e.g., Walmart) are non-responsive to cart retrieval and that Parks and Rec currently absorbs the cost of removing carts from public spaces. He asked whether retailers should be required to use anti-theft wheel locks or contribute to cleanup programs.
  • Scott Campbell (Code Enforcement) reported that cart complaints are low priority and current enforcement is minimal. He described approaches in other cities (city-funded enforcement, wheel lock mandates, retailer fines).
  • Discussion indicated a need for data on the geographic distribution and volume of abandoned carts to determine next steps.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken on any item.
• Committee members requested a work session on AO 2026-33 (building code update) to be held the following day, March 10, for deeper review of specific provisions.
• Chair Martinez will follow up with staff to gather data on shopping cart incidents and explore potential legislative options, aiming to bring a proposal back to a future meeting.