ITEM TITLE:
Public Hearing for Conditional Use Permit Application #19-01 from Roger Kipar for Gravel Extraction at 1500 Airport Road (Portion of Tract A, ASLS 79-116)
SUBMITTED BY: Kate Huber, Senior Planner
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: N/A
Unencumbered Balance: N/A
Funding Source: N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
N/A - public hearing only.
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
On January 22, 2019 the Planning Department received an application (see attached) for Conditional Use Permit (CUP) 19-01 from Roger Kipar for gravel extraction at 1500 Airport Road (Portion of Tract A, ASLS 79-116). The proposed site for gravel extraction is located to the east of the City of Valdez Police Department Shooting Range, and to the southwest of Valdez Glacier Lake.
Tract A of ASLS 79-116 covers a large area of over 1000 acres. It was a municipal entitlement selection made by the City and was officially conveyed from the State of Alaska in 1992. The tract is currently zoned for heavy industrial uses. The heavy industrial zoning district is intended for industrial development, including natural resource extraction.
The applicant is requesting a temporary conditional use approval for gravel extraction for ten years.
Obtaining approval of a CUP is the applicant’s first step for a proposed gravel extraction lease in this area. This public hearing is a time for the Planning & Zoning Commission and staff to hear from both the applicant and the public regarding the proposed use. At the February 13, 2019 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, staff will present a report including more detailed findings and conclusions and the commission will make a decision regarding the CUP.
If the Planning & Zoning Commission approves CUP #19-01, it will be necessary for Mr. Kipar to submit an application for a gravel lease on City of Valdez property. That application will be reviewed by the Planning & Zoning Commission for a possible recommendation to City Council. The Valdez City Council will then review the gravel lease application and make a decision on approval.
A public notification (see attached) regarding this hearing was published in the Valdez Star online newspaper beginning on February 8, 2019. The notification was also posted in multiple locations throughout the city, including City Hall. A notification letter (see attached) was mailed on February 15, 2019 to all property owners within a 300-foot radius of the parcel in question.
Below is additional information regarding the property and proposed use. The attached application addresses more details of the proposed use and land management plans.
Property Information
Street Address: 1500 Airport Road
Legal Description: Portion of Tract A, ASLS 79-116
Property Owner: City of Valdez
Current Uses: Shooting range, natural resource extraction, recreation
Zoning District: Heavy Industrial
The H-I (heavy industrial) district is intended for industrial development, including heavy manufacturing, shipping terminals, natural resource extraction and other processes or operations which involve one or more of the following: employs large numbers of workers, heavy truck traffic, significant environmental effects or large-volume public water or sewer service or storage of hazardous materials under a conditional use permit. (VMC 17.38.01)
Allowable Conditional Uses:
• Hazardous substance testing and manufacturing facilities;
• Airports and landing fields for rotary and fixed-wing planes;
• Dams and water reservoirs;
• Dormitories as a necessary use associated with a permitted principal use;
• Explosive ammunition, gunpowder manufacture and storage;
• Gas and fuel storage;
• Junkyards, auto wrecking and scrap yards conducted within an enclosure, but less than six feet in height and located at least fifty feet from any public street;
• Oil refineries and petrochemical plants, gas liquefaction and fractionation plants;
• Petroleum products, docks and related facilities;
• Natural resource extraction;
• Outdoor shooting ranges;
• The storage, manufacturing, handling and use of flammable, combustible and hazardous materials, liquids and gases is permitted on a conditional use basis to ensure maximum safety in facility siting and to minimize conflicts with other uses.
Adjacent Zoning Districts: The lots immediately adjacent to and surrounding Tract A are designated within the heavy industrial or public lands zoning districts.