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Session State Capitol, Room 418 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-4939 Fax: (907) 465-2418 Send E-Mail Interim 716 W 4th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 Phone: (907) 269-0244 Fax: (907) 269-0248 |
Juneau -- After years of fighting off developers who wanted to take more gravel out of the Sand Lake gravel pits, I have introduced legislation to prohibit the extraction of gravel from residential neighborhoods. The bill, HB 63, would allow developers to use the gravel on the same tract for roads and foundation work, but would expressly prohibit the transportation of gravel off site. In addition, the bill also mandates a public hearing before local governments can approve conditional use permits that conflict with the original zoning plan.
Normally, municipalities are charged with regulating local land use issues. However, the situation in Sand Lake has allowed developers to skirt around vague rules and municipalities have been very slow to help out with adequate enforcement. This legislation will make it clear that commercial gravel pits have no place in residential neighborhoods.
The 260 acre Sand Lake pit has been a source of constant problems for both the Sand Lake Community Council and area neighbors. In fact, residents have fought all the way to the Alaska Supreme Court to halt the illegal extraction of gravel. The problem still persists however, and as recent as last summer a developer, under the guise of building a subdivision, proposed to extract 800,000 cubic yards of gravel from a 57 acre tract of land adjacent to Kincaid road. This proposal would have put one gravel truck on our area roads every five minutes for two years.
Many of the homes in the Sand Lake area depend on wells for their water supply. Further extraction of gravel from the pits near these homes jeopardizes the ability of these people to have a safe source of drinking water.
While area neighbors favor responsible development and the construction of quality neighborhoods in the area, residents feel leaving the people of Sand Lake with another huge hole in the ground is unacceptable. The people of Sand Lake and neighborhoods across the state, need to be assured that the investment in their homes will be protected against activity that negatively impacts the value of their neighborhoods.
This is only one of the many issues that I am working on in Juneau. If anyone has concerns about this or other matters, I can be reached by telephone at 1-800-465-4939, by fax at 1-907-465-2418, by e-mail at Representative_Andrew_Halcro@legis.state.ak.us, or by mail at State Capitol Building, Room 418, Juneau, Alaska 99801.