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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Work Session on Proposed Land Trade: Block 102 and Tozier Tract – August 28, 2026

Assembly & Committee Meetings — Friday, August 28, 2026

BodyAnchorage, Alaska

SessionAssembly & Committee Meetings

DateFriday, August 28, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 58:52

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:21

Okay, everyone, let's go ahead and get this uh second work session of the day started.

0:25

Um, today is uh Friday, August 28th.

0:28

We are noticed, uh well, originally noticed for 110 to 210 p.m.

0:31

That might go a little bit closer to 230, uh, because our our great uh previous housing work session went long.

0:37

Uh we are here today to talk about the proposed uh land trade with uh block 102, which is a property downtown owned by the municipality or no owned by the state.

0:47

I'm sorry, currently, uh, with the uh former tojerk uh property in Midtown, which is currently owned by the municipality.

0:54

Um, and uh so we're noticed again, we'll go through introduction.

0:57

But I want to say also um apologies to members.

1:00

Um so this I think was not on everybody's calendar.

1:03

Uh we did get it noticed and it was sent out, and I think it it happened to be sent out in this very tiny blip of time where the all assembly email address was not working.

1:11

And so if you look at the invite, everybody's on there, but a number of members, including myself didn't actually get the invite.

1:17

So I know uh Miss Scout was affected by that.

1:19

I know there's a couple other people traveling.

1:21

So just to say uh sorry about that, but it is recorded.

1:24

Um, and then I'll also note um that this item is uh the the introduction of this item is on the addendum.

1:31

So I imagine folks will talk about that.

1:32

But just to note uh again for members who are listening to this after the fact.

1:36

Um, so other opportunities to ask questions there.

1:38

So we'll go through member introductions, we'll get into our business.

1:41

George Martinez.

1:43

Aaron Baldwin Day, Daniel Bull.

1:45

Anna Brawley.

1:46

And on the phone, we have Member Silvers.

1:50

Thank you.

1:51

And uh Member Gerger.

1:56

Yes, here.

1:57

And any other members were missing.

2:03

Okay.

2:03

Um, and then we're also joined at the table.

2:05

Uh so we have um assembly council, uh, clerk, uh, uh legislative services, number of folks who will introduce themselves from the administration and different agencies, uh, person from HFC, and a number of folks in the back.

2:16

So uh I'll just ask as you guys present.

2:18

Uh, we have our slideshow up there.

2:20

Um, just make sure to note yourself for the record the first time you speak.

2:23

Thank you.

2:25

Turn it to Mr.

2:26

Dole.

2:26

Go ahead.

2:27

Good afternoon, Bob Dole, Director of Community and Economic Development for the Municipality of Anchorage.

2:32

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this item that is on the addendum coming up with uh shortly.

2:37

With me to my right, I have Tiffany Briggs, who is the director of real estate and the HLB for the municipality of Anchorage.

2:44

To her right is Mike Robbins, the executive director of Anchorage Community Develop Authority.

2:50

And to his right, skipping a chair, is Danielle Delfino from uh the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation.

2:57

We brought a group up here because this is a multi this is a somewhat complex in terms of basically four different entities involved, but really it comes down to a simple idea of bringing more housing to Anchorage and addressing two lots that are currently not being exercised in the process.

3:14

I'll be followed by uh Mike who will be giving a kind of a presentation overview.

3:20

Uh, what would just like to emphasize at the front end now?

3:23

We are here with an item pending before the body for the swap of these two parcels.

3:28

We are not here for changing the comp plan.

3:30

We are not here for rezoning.

3:32

We are not here to prove a development agreement or a lot of other things that will be sussed out before you see a single shovel full of dirt moved on these properties.

3:42

This is the big uh this is the first step though, in terms of posturing these properties for development in uh better alignment than they have right now.

3:52

And with that, I'll be followed by uh Mr.

3:55

Robins.

3:56

Thank you, Mr.

3:57

Dole.

3:58

Go ahead.

3:59

Chair, thanks very much for an opportunity to talk to you again.

4:03

Um so I just want to I do want to reiterate the as Bob said, we're here to talk about the the exchange of two um viable parcels uh in the municipality uh that we can activate and to use to help us with our housing needs.

4:17

Um the idea is pretty simple.

4:20

Um we want to move these properties to the agencies that are sort of best suited to help us get them developed for housing.

4:27

I'm gonna keep my print my presentation pretty brief so that we can get into questions because I guess there's probably no questions at all.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Land Use Planning█████████████████████████████████████████████50%

Affordable Housing███████████████████████████30%

Public Engagement█████████10%

Procedural████4%

Parking Management██2%

Housing██2%

Tax Incentives██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Work Session on Proposed Land Trade: Block 102 and Tozier Tract – August 28, 2026

The Assembly held a work session on Friday, August 28, 2026, from approximately 1:10 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. to discuss a proposed land exchange between the state-owned Block 102 (downtown) and the municipally-owned former Tozier tract (Midtown). The exchange aims to facilitate housing development on both sites. Representatives from the Municipality's Community and Economic Development (Bob Dole), Heritage Land Bank (Tiffany Briggs, Ryan Yellow), Anchorage Community Development Authority (Mike Robbins), and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (Danielle Delfino) presented the proposal. The item (AO 2026-115) is scheduled for introduction on September 1, 2026, with a public hearing on September 15, 2026. No votes were taken; the work session was informational.

Discussion Items

Proposal Overview: Mike Robbins explained that the land trade would align public assets with agency missions: ACDA (catalyst for housing), AHFC (safe and affordable housing), and HLB (land stewardship). Block 102 (2.5 acres, appraised ~$5 million) is currently a parking lot; the Tozier tract (4.4 acres, appraised ~$4 million) is undeveloped. The value difference would be offset by in-kind contributions (e.g., parking assets). The trade would not involve cash. Both parcels are currently off the tax base; development would add property tax revenue.
Parking Concerns: ACDA noted that the LPPG parking garage has 228 spaces; a worst-case scenario at peak events (e.g., AFN) would require 209 spaces. Over 1,000 parking spaces are available in the area, so no state employee displacement is expected. Member Bolland expressed support for maximizing housing units over parking.
Reuse Plan and Public Process: Ryan Yellow described the HLB reuse plan for the Tozier tract, initiated in February 2026, to assess community needs and market conditions. The plan is expected mid-September 2026. Tiffany Briggs added that the reuse plan included community meetings and outreach to hospitals and businesses. AHFC’s process would involve an open competition (RFP) with transparent criteria. Robbins emphasized that no design work has been done; public process will determine the final use.
Why This Trade? Bob Dole noted that the municipality has long sought control of Block 102. The Tozier tract was identified as the best match after evaluating multiple properties. Danielle Delfino (AHFC) stated that the Tozier tract aligns with AHFC’s recent success in converting university land to housing, and that Block 102 has been difficult to develop due to parking needs and previous failed attempts.
Definitions and Affordability: Member Baldwin Day raised concerns about the terms “workforce housing,” “attainable housing,” and “public process.” She noted that “workforce housing” often means 80–120% AMI, but without subsidy, units may be market-rate. She urged clarity in communications to avoid setting false expectations. Danielle Delfino acknowledged that affordability definitions vary and that the median rent in Anchorage is $1,450/month, while some “affordable” program rents can exceed that. She emphasized that price points will be determined by market analysis. Baldwin Day also argued that the municipality needs to invest money (e.g., revenue bonds) to influence development outcomes.
Member Martinez’s Questions: Martinez asked about the genesis of the pairing, the reuse plan timeline, and infrastructure readiness. He noted that the Tozier tract is in a wildfire interface zone and questioned whether such risks are considered in property valuations. Ryan Yellow confirmed the tract has access to utilities (water, stormwater, power). Bob Dole added that developing the site would improve fire response via hydrant installation.
Chair’s Comments: The Chair noted that AR 2026-254 (a resolution on property disposal policy, co-sponsored by Member Baldwin Day) is on the addendum and is not specific to this project but aims to prioritize multi-unit housing in future land disposals. The resolution will be discussed at the September 1 meeting.

Key Outcomes

No formal decisions or votes were taken; the work session was informational.
The ordinance (AO 2026-115) authorizing the land exchange will be introduced on September 1, 2026, with a public hearing on September 15, 2026.
Assembly support is needed to continue negotiations and finalize due diligence, appraisals, and terms, with a target execution in October 2026.
The administration will work with assembly members on the resolution (AR 2026-254) regarding property disposal policy.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, everyone, let's go ahead and get this uh second work session of the day started. Um, today is uh Friday, August 28th. We are noticed, uh well, originally noticed for 110 to 210 p.m. That might go a little bit closer to 230, uh, because our our great uh previous housing work session went long. Uh we are here today to talk about the proposed uh land trade with uh block 102, which is a property downtown owned by the municipality or no owned by the state. I'm sorry, currently, uh, with the uh former tojerk uh property in Midtown, which is currently owned by the municipality. Um, and uh so we're noticed again, we'll go through introduction. But I want to say also um apologies to members. Um so this I think was not on everybody's calendar. Uh we did get it noticed and it was sent out, and I think it it happened to be sent out in this very tiny blip of time where the all assembly email address was not working. And so if you look at the invite, everybody's on there, but a number of members, including myself didn't actually get the invite. So I know uh Miss Scout was affected by that. I know there's a couple other people traveling. So just to say uh sorry about that, but it is recorded. Um, and then I'll also note um that this item is uh the the introduction of this item is on the addendum. So I imagine folks will talk about that. But just to note uh again for members who are listening to this after the fact. Um, so other opportunities to ask questions there. So we'll go through member introductions, we'll get into our business. George Martinez. Aaron Baldwin Day, Daniel Bull. Anna Brawley. And on the phone, we have Member Silvers. Thank you. And uh Member Gerger. Yes, here. And any other members were missing. Okay. Um, and then we're also joined at the table. Uh so we have um assembly council, uh, clerk, uh, uh legislative services, number of folks who will introduce themselves from the administration and different agencies, uh, person from HFC, and a number of folks in the back. So uh I'll just ask as you guys present. Uh, we have our slideshow up there. Um, just make sure to note yourself for the record the first time you speak. Thank you. Turn it to Mr. Dole. Go ahead. Good afternoon, Bob Dole, Director of Community and Economic Development for the Municipality of Anchorage. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this item that is on the addendum coming up with uh shortly. With me to my right, I have Tiffany Briggs, who is the director of real estate and the HLB for the municipality of Anchorage. To her right is Mike Robbins, the executive director of Anchorage Community Develop Authority. And to his right, skipping a chair, is Danielle Delfino from uh the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. We brought a group up here because this is a multi this is a somewhat complex in terms of basically four different entities involved, but really it comes down to a simple idea of bringing more housing to Anchorage and addressing two lots that are currently not being exercised in the process. I'll be followed by uh Mike who will be giving a kind of a presentation overview. Uh, what would just like to emphasize at the front end now? We are here with an item pending before the body for the swap of these two parcels. We are not here for changing the comp plan. We are not here for rezoning. We are not here to prove a development agreement or a lot of other things that will be sussed out before you see a single shovel full of dirt moved on these properties. This is the big uh this is the first step though, in terms of posturing these properties for development in uh better alignment than they have right now.

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