(4/10/18) Update: The MSB is still working hard on the Wolf Lake Plan. Here is a map they made (dated 3/15/18) for the proposed Wolf Lake Aviation Overlay District.
There is a Joint Planning Commission/Platting Board meeting tonight (March 5, 2018) at 6 p.m . in the Assembly Chambers.
Here is the agenda:
The agenda seems fairly straightforward until you do a little bit of digging and then you realize that the MSB staff is giving a present to one of the Assembly members. “This Spud’s for You!”
Look at Resolution 18-06 – highlighted in yellow. The Planning Commission is being asked to consider a resolution recommending that the Assembly approve an ordinance adopting MSB 17, 10 Overlay Districts.
All the details are in the meeting packet. Make sure you scroll all the way to the end of the packet, past all the marijuana stuff:
pc-packet-03-05-18 wolf lake overlay district docs
But if you can’t scroll through it all, these are the important documents.
The MSB Planning Director explains that the MSB has received several requests from communities and groups for additional land use regulations. And one of these requests was submitted by D.E. Northfork LLC on behalf of Wolf Lake Airport.
What is missing from these documents?
The important and relevant fact that Assembly Member Barbara Doty OWNS and manages D.E. Northfork LLC a/k/a the Wolf Lake Airport.
Wolf Lake airport:
This is the history of Wolf Lake Airport from their website:
FYI: The “Aero Subdivision on Wolf Lake Homeowners Association” sued D.E .Northfork LLC in 2015. (Anchorage Superior Court case 3AN-15-10620 CI.) The defendant seems to have prevailed on a Motion for Summary Judgment. The case was closed in 2017.
Now I’m sure that when the ordinance which is the subject of the proposed Planning Commission Resolution #18-06 comes before the MSB Assembly, the Assembly member with the conflict will recuse herself.
But, think about this – When does a conflict start? Is an Assembly member allowed to task MSB staff with “pet projects”? Is that what happened here?
This Wolf Lake SPUD seems to have been in the works for a long time.
Aviation Advisory Board meeting Oct 19, 2017:
MSB staffer Karol Riese advised the Aviation Advisory Board that MSB Planning Director Eileen Probasco “met with Dr. Doty and the planning department…the MSB staff has received an outline of WHAT WOLF LAKE IS REQUESTING and we are working on next steps for an airport overlay district.” (What nice service!)
Aviation Advisory Board meeting August 17, 2017:
“Mr. Christopher Cole (MSB Planner) advised that he met with Barb Doty regarding Wolf Lake – going to work with Wolf Lake to organize a Special Use District (SPUD); also working on airport overlay …”
Aviation Advisory Board Meeting May 25, 2017:
MSB staffers/planners Chris Cole and Sara Jansen tell the aviation board that they are working on the Overlay and that Sara “met with the folks at Wolf Lake…”
And here is another fun fact. Guess who is on the Aviation Advisory Board? There are only 5 members and one of them is a Wolf Lake resident.
