The Soldotna City Council will not act until September on legislation to rezone the area that is set to be part of the Riverfront Redevelopment Project, after the group decided unanimously to delay it until after summer.
A pair of ordinances, originally scheduled for public hearing and action on June 11, were introduced at the council’s May 28 meeting. Member Linda Farnsworth-Hutchings asked to delay the public hearing on both items until Sept. 10.
The two ordinances being considered would first establish a new “Riverfront Mixed-Use District.” The area would cover the space between the Kenai River and the Sterling Highway, extending from Birch Street to David Douthit Veterans Memorial Park Bridge.
The draft document describes the new zoning district as intended to “support the vision, goals, and policies of the Soldotna Downtown Riverfront Redevelopment Plan, and ensure future development is integrated, cohesive, context sensitive, and contributes to the overall district vision.”
The district is meant to be a “sustainable” and “accessible” environment with public gathering spaces, housing options and methods of travel within the area, to the Kenai River, and to nearby commercial areas.
The district will include public art and safe routes for pedestrians and bicyclists, the document says.
The district will allow for concert halls, restaurants, bars, banks, hotels, museums, offices, parks, hair styling, retail storefronts and recreation facilities. The document says that conditional approval can also be given to dwellings and day cares, parking lots, repair services and schools, among others.
Barred from the district are all forms of marijuana establishments, as well as laundromats, storage units and transmission towers, among others. Gas stations and RV camping are both included as “prohibited” uses, though an RV park and a gas station already exist in the area set to be rezoned.
The draft says that buildings can be up to 48 feet tall in the zone.
Parking requirements resemble those throughout Soldotna if they were cut in half. Homes require only one parking space, hotels need one space for every two rooms, and most businesses need one space per 400 square feet. The draft also describes possibilities for on-street parking and off-site parking.
Farnsworth-Hutchings said the ordinances are too “big” and impactful to happen right now, “in the middle of summer in Soldotna.” There weren’t enough people participating in discussion, she said.
The City of Soldotna previously held an open house on April 22 to field questions about the draft plans for the new zoning district. The city’s planning and zoning commission held meetings on the draft on Jan. 7 and May 7.
The council unanimously supported the delay. A public hearing and action on the ordinances is now set for Sept. 10. City Manager Janette Bower said a joint work session between the council and commission could also be scheduled in late summer before the new date.
A full recording of the meeting and the text of both ordinances can be found at soldotna.org.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
