Newsletters & Notices

Welcome to Issue IX of Girdwood Inc’s newsletter. Below you will find summaries and short updates regarding many Girdwood-related topics.

Champion: Terry Sherwood

Terry is a local Girdwood resident of 22 years. She has raised 3 children and is an active participant at Girdwood Chapel. Terry is a retired school teacher, teaching in Anchorage for 17 years and an additional 5 years at Girdwood School. After retiring, Terry worked for Alyeska Ski Club for 8 years.

A key focus for Terry over the past few years has been volunteering for the Girdwood Food Pantry at the chapel. In this role, she has helped to feed many individuals and families struggling to put food on the table. During the pandemic, Terry and the Girdwood Food Pantry helped to feed up to 300 individuals per month. In 2023, these numbers have leveled out and consistently around 175 people, which are supplied with food 3-4 times per month.

Terry enjoys going for hikes, skiing, camping and spending time with family. She does the events timing for Town League and Masters at Alyeska Resort and does seasonal work for Chugach Adventures and Slack Tide Gallery. Girdwood is lucky to have such a dedicated volunteer and community member in Terry Sherwood!

Holtan Hills:

It appears Holtan Hills is being put back on the table in the next few months. At the Anchorage Assembly May 9^th meeting, Assembly Resolution 2023-165 passed in the consent agenda. This resolution reappropriates $30,000 from the Real Estate Department, Heritage Land Bank Fund and $30,000 from Assembly Area Wide General Fund, for a total of $60,000, to fund a real estate consultant for Holtan Hills.

Meg Zalatel was the sponsor of the Resolution, co-sponsored with Mayor Bronson. Ms. Zalatel stated that she does not expect the item to come before the assembly until she is back from her leave. Public notice was given that she will be taking medical leave from the Anchorage Assembly May 24 – July 11.

Click to read: Resolution No. AR 2023-165, A Resolution of the Municipality of Anchorage reappropriating a total of $60,000 from Real Estate Department, Heritage Land Bank Fund (221000) and Assembly, Areawide General Fund (101000), all to the Real Estate Department, within respective funds, for a Real Estate Consultant for Holtan Hills, Assembly Vice Chair Zaletel and Mayor Bronson. (Addendum.)

HLB Work Plan:

A substantial amount of land held within the Heritage Land Bank is situated in Girdwood. Traditionally, work plans were adopted on an annual basis, but the last adopted work program passed Heritage Land Bank Advisory Committee and Assembly in 2021. Heritage Land Bank has advertised the 45-day public review process on their website. Public comment is currently open and closes June 9, 2023. HLB staff will be accepting comments sent to HLB@AnchorageAK.gov. We encourage all to review the 2023 Annual Work Program & 2024-2028 Five-Year Management Plan. Click here to be directed to the Public Review Draft. The public hearing for the Work Program is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 22, 2023.

New Housing and Economic Development Committee:

As a result of Proposition 7 passing in the Girdwood Valley Service Area, the Girdwood Board of Supervisors has created a 7-member advisory committee for Girdwood Housing and Economic Stability. The following individuals were selected to serve on the committee: Brett Wilbanks, Tim Cabana, Erin Eker, Krystal Hoke, Brooke Lavendar, Thomas Meding and Matt Schechter. The first organizational meeting was held May 31^st and intends to meet on a monthly basis.

Airport Development:

A new proposed development is requesting 11 acres of Department of Transportation land at Girdwood airport. The proposed lease is 55 years with an annual rate of $48,830. Per the notice posted on the State of Alaska website: “Authorized uses: Mixed Aeronautical and Non-aeronautical – up to 150 short term lodging units, private aircraft storage, fueling, and maintenance. Ancillary facilities for a winter/summer sports center, fly out base, meeting space, and food and beverage service along with ten 600 square foot residences for employees in the upper two floors of the Ancillary facility.” The developers attended May’s Girdwood Board of Supervisors meeting and Andrew Faulkner and Timothy Treadwell,  President and Vice President of Glacier Valley Lodge, have provided a follow up letter to GBOS (scan QR code to read).

Competing applications or written comments must be received by 4:30 p.m., June 12, 2023, after which the Department will determine whether or not to execute the lease. Comments can be sent to PO Box 196900 Anchorage, AK 99519-6900.

Significant changes at Alyeska:

Alyeska Resort has provided us with some information about their activities.  The resort has recently launched a new Girdwood locals-only club called Club 587. Members will get access to exclusive discounts, special offers, and more. For those interested in joining, registration details can be found on the resort’s website at alyeskaresort.com/locals-only.

The resort has been undergoing several renovation projects. Last May, the hotel’s 8th floor was remodeled to offer guests a Club Floor experience. The newly upgraded destination, called the Black Diamond Club, features a private lounge with curated food and beverage offerings, a dedicated concierge, new in-room amenities, and more. The 8th floor consists of 34 rooms, including a mix of different-sized suites.

In July, a full refresh of the Aurora Bar is planned to begin. Also this summer, the new employee housing building is expected to be completed. The housing project consists of 71 units made up of 1-bedroom and studio apartments for Alyeska resort employees. 

The resort is also preparing to launch the new Veilbreaker Skybridges, expected to begin their first tours this summer. The skybridges will span a combined 600 feet across the Christmas and New Years chutes, offering views of the surrounding mountains. The Alyeska team is working to upgrade the mountain and Resort guest experience and looking forward to a great 2023 summer.

The Roundhouse Museum at Alyeska:

The Roundhouse Museum at Alyeska resumed operations May 29^th and will continue through the fall when the tram ceases operation. If you have not visited the Roundhouse previously, you will find gifts, historical artifacts from Girdwood, Alaska, mining, and skiing. You will also find a 3-dimensional topographical display featuring Alyeska Mountain and the surrounding range. Hours of operation are Sunday – Wednesday 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM Thursday – Saturday 10:30 AM – 6:00 PM.

Anchorage Assembly Housing Retreat:

On Friday May 19^th, the Anchorage Assembly held an all-day Housing Retreat. Presenters included Nolan Klouda from UAA Center for Economic Development, Mike Robbins from Anchorage Community Development Authority, Kristine Bunnell and Daniel McKenna-Foster from Municipality Long-Range Planning, Tyler Robinson from Cook Inlet Housing Authority and Andre Spinelli of Spinell Homes.

Much of the meeting focused on challenges that developers experience to create new housing. There was a “Vision to Action Facilitated Conversation” which asked the audience and assembly members to suggest new policies to implement. The goal is to hold a “Housing Summit” in the fall to put forward suggested legislation to go into effect. Some interesting details provided by Nolan Klouda included statistics regarding how many houses are built per 1000 people are built. Alaska ranks 45^th out of 50. Statewide, the average is 2 units per 1000 people. Anchorage, specifically, builds 1.3 units of housing per 1000 people.

Community Spotlight:

Introducing Turnagain News! “Turnagain News is non-profit, non-partisan, independent multi-media source serving Southcentral Alaska. Our vision is providing a news network that ensures all people have access to trusted news. From local news to in-depth reporting, the Turnagain News will tell stories that otherwise would go untold—connecting and informing our communities on local government while supporting democracy.” You can read published articles and find out more online at https://turnagainnews.org.

Until next time! Girdwood Inc, Board of Directors

Greetings! Welcome to issue VIII of the Girdwood Inc newsletter! We will cover topics such as the exact language in Girdwood-specific proposition 7, an online survey for housing types supported by the community, an update from Girdwood’s Public Safety Advisory Committee, Department of Transportation’s new project to improve safety on the Seward Highway and information regarding upcoming meet and greet with Anchorage Public Library’s new director Virginia McClure.

PROPOSITION NO. 7

Below you will find the language that is included on the mail-in municipal election ballot due April 4^th.

GIRDWOOD VALLEY SERVICE AREA LOCAL HOUSING AND ECONOMIC STABILITY POWER

This proposition would add to the existing powers of the Girdwood Valley Service Area the power to provide services in support of policies that promote local housing and economic stability. This proposition would not authorize the Girdwood Valley Service Area to levy any additional taxes. Exercise of this new power, if approved, would be paid for by taxes levied under the service area’s current maximum mill rate of 6.0 mills.

Shall this new power be added to the existing powers of the Girdwood Valley Service Area? ​(AO 2022-118, As Amended) Yes Or No.

Looking for housing feedback:

Girdwood Community Land Trust held a Housing Social at the community room on March 11^th. They registered participants and gave them sticky notes to attach to posters of various housing types that the individual would personally support.

Girdwood CLT has created an online version to get as much input as possible. Please take a moment to CLICK HERE and provide your feedback. The results will be shared publicly after April 12^th on their website and Facebook page. Thank you!

Community Spotlight: Public Safety Advisory Committee, Authors: Amanda Sassi, Emily Lewis

Here in Girdwood, public safety is overseen by the Public Safety Advisory Committee. This committee was formed in 2016, with the initial purpose of helping to find the best way to police our community after the Alaska State Troopers left their Girdwood post. The public voted to partner with the Whittier Police Department (WPD), and we signed our first contract for their services.

When that contract expired at the end of 2022, Girdwood Valley Service Area Manager Kyle Kelley and City of Whittier administration worked in conjunction with the Public Safety Advisory Committee to update the contract. A new three-year contract was signed at the end of December by the Municipality of Anchorage (MoA) and the City of Whittier, with an option for two one-year extensions, if agreed upon by both parties at that time.

Our newest member of the Girdwood Public Safety Advisory Committee, Emily Lewis, recently had the opportunity to ride along with one of our Whittier Police officers for an afternoon.

“After getting to spend some time learning about all that policing our community entails, I feel really grateful for our partnership with the Whittier Police Department. Even though Girdwood isn’t the primary residence of most officers, because they spend so much time here, they’re a part of our community and really care about helping to keep us all safe,” said Lewis.

Officers spoke of embracing a community policing model, and shared that they are seeking engagement and participation from the community.

“People often assume that we know something that’s happening in town or residents’ general safety concerns because they were posted on the Girdwood Facebook page, but we don’t monitor Facebook. If there’s anything happening that we should know about, we need people to call it in,” said Officer Hager, who’s been with the WPD since 2014. Residents are encouraged to call 911 or the WPD Non-Emergency Line, 907-382-3223, and to be prepared with detailed descriptions.

“If you see or hear something unusual, call it in. Even if you don’t think a police response is required, they would rather have it on their radar so they’re ready to respond at a later time if needed,” said Lewis.

Dispatch for the WPD is based in Sitka. This recent change came after WPD’s contract with Cordova Police Department for dispatch services expired. A request for proposal was issued for dispatching service and three bids came back. Cordova asked for a substantial increase and Sitka ultimately won the bid. So far, officers have reported a high level of responsiveness from Sitka’s dispatch service, as well as a solid familiarity with the layout of Girdwood, the Seward Highway, and Turnagain Arm communities.

As in the past, any 911 calls placed from the Girdwood valley go first to the Anchorage Police Department dispatch. When you state that you’re needing police assistance in Girdwood, you’ll be patched through to Sitka dispatch, which can then dispatch the Whittier Police Department.

In other public safety related news, Girdwood Valley Service Area Manager Kyle Kelley is working with the Department of Transportation to obtain mobile speed radar signs for use along the Alyeska Highway, hopefully by this summer. The Department of Transportation will also be doing a traffic study sometime in 2023 on the Girdwood roads that tend to see the most speeding.

The Public Safety Advisory Committee’s purpose is to serve as a conduit between the community and law enforcement. Residents are encouraged to share any public safety-related concerns at the committee’s monthly meetings. Public comment can be offered in person, called in, or given virtually. Meetings are typically held at 7pm on the first Monday of each month in the Community Room. Details can be found on the Girdwood Board of Supervisors homepage.

Department of Transportation’s Project: Safer Seward Highway

Governor Dunlevy recently declared the Seward Highway a priority for safety improvements.  The focus will be on the stretch from the end of the divided highway near Bird, to Potters Marsh.  This current “safety corridor” is critical because it has a very high rate of accidents and related casualties.  This new project is called “Safer Seward Highway” and has a website set up at safersewardhighway.com. 

Most important, now is the time for people to get involved and give input on how they think the project should be done.  The goal is an outstanding highway corridor that improves safety while providing important recreation and use features such as a bike corridor, wildlife and scenic viewing, and more trailhead and viewpoint parking.  

The Department of Transportation is drawing together a team of experts from all over the state to explore new design concepts such as tunnels that might have been previously dismissed. This team has been tasked with looking at various design options to improve highway safety, including dividing the north & southbound sections, adding lanes and especially designing a highway that includes many critical recreational and scenic enhancements.  They also must consider the substantial increases in traffic that are forecast well into the future. We will continue to keep Girdwood informed about this important project.

Upcoming meetings:

Library Director Meet and Greet

When: Friday, April 14, 2023, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Where: Scott and Wesley Gerrish (Girdwood) Library

Anchorage Public Library’s new director Virginia McClure is coming to Girdwood! Join her and get to know what your library has in store for you and your community. 

Welcome to Issue VII of Girdwood Inc’s newsletter. With housing as a major need in our community, that will be the main focus of this issue.

Holtan Hills:

On Tuesday February 7^th, the Anchorage Assembly voted 7-5 to “indefinitely postpone” the disposal of the 3 large tracts to CY Investments, more commonly referred to as the Holtan Hills Project. The 3 parcels contained a total of 450 acres. Sixty acres would be removed from the 450-acre tracts and the remainder transferred back to Heritage Land Bank.

This decision came after over a hundred Girdwood residents came to testify on December 6^th and the December 13^th special meeting for continued testimony. It was postponed at the January 10^th Assembly meeting to February 7^th. The indefinite postponement means the item may not come back before the Assembly body, unless it’s been “substantially changed.”

South Townsite:

Girdwood Community Land Trust has been working to secure South Townsite as a potential location. This is the area near the ballfield, and was once platted out as “the squirrel cages.” Meetings were recently held with the watershed department at the Municipality. The discussions raised serious questions as to if this was a viable location to develop. Due to flood plain constraints, building at the convergence of the two waterways (Glacier Creek & California Creek) may be a cause for concern. Any HUD funding is very difficult, if not impossible for getting grant and financing for flood plain areas. Although there is a section of this parcel outside of the 100- and 500-year floodplain (based on the 2009 FEMA maps), old documents discovered in a Girdwood crawlspace dating to 1969 show the entire south townsite under the flood plain. The municipal hydrologist discussed rivers changing course and direction as a common theme, and this section of land may be safe for the time being, but uncertain in the long term.

This means that going up valley to higher elevations is the most realistic and plausible location for long-term community expansion. Given this new information, Girdwood Community Land Trust is still interested in pursuing South Townsite as an area for arts, culture, temporary uses (non-permanent structures, such as yurts) and expansion of park areas.

What is next:

Girdwood needs more housing, especially workforce and affordable housing. Girdwood Inc would like to see a plan come forward that can be supported by our community and incorporates needs which have already been identified as well as thinking about growth into the future and appropriate conservation. Girdwood Community Land Trust, as a Girdwood Inc sponsored organization, has already been working on possible housing solutions. A presentation was given at January’s Land Use Meeting and included in the GBOS packet. Girdwood Inc is in support of Girdwood Community Land Trust’s vision of “community-led, community-owned development.”

Girdwood Community Land Trust is planning a Girdwood Housing Solutions Brainstorm and Social on March 11, 2023. The event begins at 6:00 PM in the Girdwood Community Room. Mocktails and appetizers will be provided. More details are available at www.girdwoodlandtrust.org. Those who are interested in providing input, ideas, suggestions or interested in engaging on Girdwood housing matters are encouraged to attend.

Housing Power for Girdwood Valley Service Area (GVSA) Ballot Measure:

We are approaching the April Anchorage municipal election and ballots will be mailed to voters in late March.  This coming election is especially important to Girdwood because there is an initiative to establish a Girdwood Housing Power within the service area. This ballot item will be for Girdwood voters only.

A little background: Girdwood is unique across Anchorage for managing many of our own local services.  This came about because we are so physically separated from the rest of Anchorage.  Under direction of the elected Girdwood Board of Supervisors (GBOS), we have provided our own Fire, Roads, Parks & Recreation services for decades. In 2015, we voted to add a power to allow GVSA tax dollars to be spent on a Cemetery. Additionally, most of us remember the very close local vote in 2016 to provide police as a power of GVSA after the Alaska State Troopers left.

This Girdwood Housing power would be most like our existing Cemetery power. It provides the Girdwood Valley Service Area (GVSA) the ability to apply for grants, accept funds from other parts of the Municipal government, and use local property taxes to develop specific housing policies. For example, GVSA can hire and direct mountain resort housing experts, rather than through a contract written by other Municipal departments such as Planning. It also allows the GVSA to manage Municipal land, in the same way as Girdwood already manages land for its parks, roads and drainage services.

The upcoming 2023 Anchorage Municipal ballot will also have the typical mix of Assembly, School Board and GBOS elections, bond measures (most of which are not paid for by Girdwood property owners), and several ballot measures including a $25,000 increase in residential property tax exemption.  Municipal vote-by-mail ballots will appear in our PO Boxes in late March.

Girdwood residents numbered over 100 at the Anchorage Assembly meeting of December 6^th. This was despite the blizzard occurring outside and what would become the beginning of 3 storms nicknamed “Snowmageddon.” The range of testifiers spanned a vast demographic from young adults to retirees, service workers to credentialed professionals. The vast majority spoke in favor of development but voiced unease that the Holtan Hills project, as currently envisioned, would help the Girdwood housing crisis. Many residents held signs that said, “Listen to Girdwood” and “Public land should equal public benefit.” The testimony went late into the evening and was postponed to a special meeting regarding this agenda item only.

Just five days prior to the December 6^th public hearing, a new substitute version (or S-version) was put forward for the ordinance, which outlines the disposal of the 3 large tracts. The most substantial change was an addition of a lot to be reserved for Girdwood. It reads, “One multi-family lot to be drawn from HLB’s portion of profits will be designated for future disposal to a Girdwood housing authority, if and only if a housing authority entity is established which can legally receive and own property, and if and only if the housing authority is established within five years of this disposal. Otherwise, the multi-family lot reverts to Heritage Land Bank ownership.” It is important to note that Girdwood does not have a Housing Authority, nor does the Municipality of Anchorage have one.

At the special meeting held December 13^th, hours of testimony continued to express concerns about the project. Examples included questions regarding the fiscal burden the municipality is taking on via the joint venture, developers competing against the municipality, process missteps, lack of affordable housing and proper planning, among others. The meeting went nearly 4 hours long and once again, not even historic snowfall occurring outside would stop Girdwood residents from coming to testify.

In final comments of the Special Meeting Assemblymember Forrest Dunbar stated, “I want to thank the folks that testified today and earlier. Despite the obvious passion that people brought, it was incredibly respectful and substantive public testimony. One of the best I’ve encountered on this body and in almost seven years. I really appreciate the specifics that a number of folks in the community came forward with.” Dunbar has since resigned from the Anchorage Assembly and is now representing District J, East Anchorage in the State Senate. He has since been replaced by Assemblymember Joey Sweet.

On December 20^th, a new substitute S-1 version was introduced by Assemblymember Meg Zaletel. In reference to the community lot (1 lot out of 52 lots), the ordinance had been amended to: “At least one multi-family lot for the development of at least 8 units to be drawn from HLB’s portion of profits will be designated for future disposal to a Girdwood housing trust or non-profit entity for the purposes of developing community housing for residents, if and only if a housing trust or entity is established which can legally receive and own property, and if and only if the housing trust or entity is established within five years of the recording of the plat for Phase I of Holtan Hills Subdivision entitlements being complete on the parcels. Otherwise, the multi-family lot reverts to Heritage Land Bank ownership;”

Anchorage Assemblymembers came to Girdwood for an in-person and hybrid worksession held at the Gerrish Library Community Room on January 6^th. Girdwood Board of Supervisors Mike Edgington and Jennifer Wingard explained the concerns regarding the project, disposal, and the S-1. Emma Kramer represented the Holtan Hills Housing Advisory Committee. Ms. Zaletel asked questions about the community lot to Adam Trombley, Mayor Bronson’s Chief of Staff and lead for the Holtan Hills project. It was clarified that the community lot would only be transferred to a local entity if Phase I produced a profit and not until all other lots had been sold. Chris Constant encouraged the transfer to be noted on the title, rather than only in the ordinance. Even though no participation from the public was allowed at the worksession, many Girdwood residents attended and listened in on the discussion.

At the January 10^th Assembly Meeting, the agenda item was postponed until February 7^th. This meeting marked Assemblymember Jamie Allard’s last meeting, as she moves to represent District 23 Eagle River in the State House. Her seat has since been filled by Assemblymember Robin Dern.

On January 16^th, Girdwood Board of Supervisors passed a Resolution stating “WHEREAS, in its current unamended form GBOS determined by a vote of 5-0 that the S-1 does not provide adequate guarantees that the core needs for community housing in Girdwood will be advanced by this project;” and requested the disposal “be postponed until adoption of the 2023 updated Girdwood Area Plan.”

With two new Assemblymembers becoming appointed in the last month, we encourage those to reach out to Mr. Joey Sweet and Ms. Robin Dern, who may have missed out on hearing the Girdwood community testify, or previous emails sent out.

Girdwood Inc continues to follow this historic land disposal and will continue to provide updates, summaries, and links to more information on our website. Additional links and videos below.

January 6, 2023​​ – Worksession No. 3 re Holtan Hills, AO 2022-103 Competitive Disposal of HLB Parcels to CY Investments

• ​AO 2022-103(S)​
• AO 2022-103(S-1)
• 2022-103(S-1) -​ FA 1
• A​M 30-2023
• HH Powerpoint 23.01​.06