Anchorage Assembly Work Session on MHOP Ordinance Amendments (October 28, 2026)

The Anchorage Assembly held a work session to discuss amendments and the substitute version of the Missing Middle Housing Opportunity Overlay (MHOP) ordinance (AO 2026-85). The session focused on refining zoning rules to increase housing supply along transit corridors while addressing neighborhood compatibility, seismic safety, and infrastructure capacity.

Public Comments & Testimony

No public testimony was taken during this work session, but members frequently referenced strong community feedback received during prior hearings.

Discussion Items

• Level Set (Sponsors Baldwin Dave & Martinez): Explained the ordinance implements the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. A 30+ pound physical copy of the plan was displayed to illustrate the difficulty of singular interpretation. Planning Director Melissa Babb noted the department tries to be consistent with interpretations.
• Amendment 1 (Baldwin Day Park): Limits lot coverage to 40% for single-family homes without ADUs to prevent overly large structures ("McMansions"). Excludes properties with ADUs or short-term rentals.
• Amendment 2 (Baldwin Day Martinez): Replaced the overlay map with Exhibit A1, aligning it with the 2025 multifamily tax abatement map. Cleaned up boundaries (e.g., eliminating street slicing), added parcels near future transit corridors (36th Ave), and excluded the JBER crash zone. Parcel count changed from 31,947 (TISDO v6) to 32,102 (MHOP boundary).
• Amendments 5-8 (Silvers / Handeland):
  • #5: Requires a shared wall for structures on a lot line. Planning staff considered it duplicative.
  • #6: Creates graduated 5-foot height transitions by zone. Planning staff noted 5 extra feet rarely enables a full additional floor; 40 feet is standard for 3-story contemporary construction.
  • #7: Requires drainage plans over 50% total building coverage. Baldwin Dave noted current code allows paving entire lots. CED Director Bob Dole confirmed a wider code update on impermeable surfaces is being explored.
  • #8: Requires site plan review for larger developments in R2A/R2B. Silvers argued this is a reasonable mitigation for introducing nineplexes into single-family neighborhoods.
• Mayor LaFrance's Amendment: Extends the 30-foot height limit and a 10-foot front setback to R1A, R2, R2A, and R2D zones to reduce visual impact and provide snow storage. Bob Dole stated it preserves neighborhood feel.
• Substitute Version (S Version) by Ms. Park:
  • Introduced a tiered overlay (5 categories), seismic zone exclusions, a 10-year sunset with a 3,000-unit production trigger, and a mandatory reversion.
  • Ms. Park clarified she intended to first work through amendments to the original version.
  • Baldwin Dave queried complexity, as Planning staff confirmed no existing overlay uses subcategories, increasing administrative burden.
  • Martinez questioned how excluding seismic zones from the overlay made those areas safer, noting the increased cost of seismic engineering.
• Amendments 9-11 (Baldwin Day): Require annual reporting and a 5-year policy evaluation (9), clarify Comprehensive Plan interpretation authority is reserved for the Planning Commission and Assembly (10), and add a technical code abbreviation (11).

Key Outcomes

• Amendment Withdrawn: Amendment 4 (medium community facilities) was withdrawn by the sponsor for future standalone consideration.
• No Votes Taken: This was a work session; no formal votes or decisions were recorded.
• Next Steps: The item is tentatively scheduled for the November 4, 2026, Assembly meeting, acknowledging a crowded agenda. Ms. Park confirmed her intent to try reaching a compromise on the original version first.
• Record Correction: Long-Range Planning Manager Daniel McKenna Foster corrected a previously stated height increase from 36 feet to 31 feet.