SPUD Process document

There have been many questions regarding the SPUD process currently underway on Lazy Mountain. Attached to this post is a PDF from the borough you can download for official information about the process, it is also reproduced in text format below.

Click here to download the SPUD process document in PDF format.

Guidelines for Developing Comprehensive Plans and SpUDS Page 1 of 3

PC Resolution 09-14 (AM)

MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH

Planning and Land Use Department

Planning Division

350 East Dahlia Avenue Palmer, AK  99645

Phone (907) 745-9833 Fax (907) 745-9876

Guidelines for the Development or Update of

Community Based Comprehensive Plans and SPUDS.

Planning Commission Resolution 09-14 (AM)

Request: According to assembly policy, the request for development or update

of a community comprehensive plan or Special Land Use District (SpUD) shall be

initiated upon written request by the community council or its equivalent local

representative body (for the remainder of this document, community council refers to

the local representative body).

Scheduling: Community based planning efforts will be scheduled and will be

prioritized to accomplish the communities planning goals.

Commission approval of start-up: Once the request is scheduled, staff

assistance for the planning effort and the boundaries of the affected area shall be

reviewed and approved by the commission.  The boundaries of the affected area should

generally be consistent with the community council boundaries (except that the Core

Area comprehensive plan boundaries shall generally consist of the communities of

Gateway, North and South Lakes, Tanaina, Farm Loop, and those areas generally

between the cities of Palmer and Wasilla that are not within any community council).

Guidelines which have been formally adopted by the planning commission shall

be utilized for the planning effort.

Notice and planning team appointment: Upon planning commission approval

of a planning effort, a general notice will be mailed to the area’s property owners and

registered voters (if voter list is available) notifying them of the planning effort, the

proposed schedule, purpose of the effort, request for planning team nominations, and

the contact staff person.  At the same time an advertisement will be placed in the

newspaper of general circulation also requesting nominations for the planning team.

The applications for planning team representatives will be reviewed by a subcommittee

of the commission, consisting of the commissioner from the subject area, the council

chair or designee, and the staff project manager.  The subcommittee’s

recommendations will be forwarded to the commission for review and comment.

A planning team will be formed with the emphasis placed on ensuring a broad

range of representation consisting of community representatives (i.e. property owners,

local business owner, education/youth, real estate, etc.), borough staff and agency

representatives if needed. The number of community representatives should range

between six and 15 individuals unless otherwise approved by the commission.  No more

than two community council board members may hold both positions of board member

Guidelines for Developing Comprehensive Plans and SpUDS Page 2 of 3

PC Resolution 09-14 (AM)

and planning team member.  No more than one member of a household unit may be on

the planning team.

Planning team members shall complete a commitment form, ensuring the

following:

• Lives, owns property, owns a business or other community/agency

representative within the planning area;

• Will make the voluntary commitment of time to be available for meetings

during the planning effort;

• Will consider compromises that will help manage conflict between competing

segments of the community;

• Will listen to and consider testimony from the public and other government

agencies as it affects the comprehensive plan;

• Will commit to develop a comprehensive plan that will represent the entire

planning area;

• Will commit to distribute accurate information to other community members

and clarify misunderstandings.

If any appointed member of the planning team fails to meet the commitments

outlined above, he/she may be removed by the subcommittee upon written request by a

majority of the remaining planning team members.

Planning team meetings and public outreach methods: Once the planning

project is underway, borough staff will conduct research, inventory resources, prepare

background text, and prepare base maps.  This information will be prepared in draft

form prior to the first working meetings of the planning team.  Once working meetings

begin, the planning team will determine which public participation methods will be used

(i.e. questionnaires, workshops, etc.) to identify major issues within the planning area.

All planning team meetings and other workshops shall be advertised, at a

minimum, in the local newspaper and on the borough web-site.  Additional notification

efforts such as radio public service announcements, flyers posted at public locations, or

other methods may be used.

Planning team meetings will be public meetings held in a facility within the

community.  They will be facilitated by borough staff and public input will be received at

a designated time during the meeting.  Decisions will be made by appointed team

members only.  The intent is to provide a forum in which team members can discuss

issues, make decisions and reach consensus as necessary based on their

understanding of the wishes of the community.

Workshops will be held at times determined by the planning team throughout the

planning process.  They will be public meetings in an open house format and will be

held in a facility within the community.  The workshops will be scheduled over a period

of several hours to allow members of the public to stop in at their convenience and talk

with team members and borough staff.  The intent of the workshops will be to allow the

team members to remain abreast of the community on key issues and more importantly

to allow community residents to remain informed.

Draft document is produced: Once a draft document is prepared by the

planning team, it will be made available at a minimum, at the nearest library and on the

borough web-site.  A second general notice will be mailed to all property owners and

Guidelines for Developing Comprehensive Plans and SpUDS Page 3 of 3

PC Resolution 09-14 (AM)

registered voters (if voter list is available) of the area notifying them and requesting their

comments on the draft.  A notice will also be advertised in the newspaper of general

circulation.  At least one public meeting will be held to obtain comments on the draft

plan or SpUD.

After the comment period closes on the draft document the planning team will

review all comments and make appropriate changes to the plan or SpUD.  The team will

indicate how comments were either incorporated into the plan or explain why it chose

not to incorporate such comments.  The team will then forward the planning team

approved draft to the community council.

Community Council Review: The community council shall thoroughly review

and make a recommendation to the planning commission, on each specific chapter of

the plan or SpUD.

Public Hearings: One or more public hearings will be held by the planning

commission prior to making a recommendation to the assembly on a community plan or

SpUD.  The public hearing is to allow the public the opportunity to voice their support or

objections prior to the commission’s final decision.

Elevation:  From time to time issues will arise that members of the planning

team will not be able to agree upon.  Due to limited resources it will be necessary to

resolve the impasse.  Upon reaching impasse, the borough project staff will notify the

planning director of such and instruct representatives of each side of the issue to

prepare briefing papers describing the issue and supporting their position.  The briefing

papers will be forwarded to the planning director and a meeting scheduled at which a

representative of each side would make a presentation.  The planning director will issue

a written decision on the issue(s) with supporting rationale.  The decision will be

forwarded to the planning team and planning commission.  The decision will be

considered “final” for the purpose of preparing the draft plan or SpUD: that is, the issue

will be open for public comment during the public comment stage of the draft plan or

SpUD and during the planning commission and assembly’s public hearing.