This community-based plan sponsored by the Municipality of Anchorage will focus on preserving historic character while planning for a sustainable future in Anchorage’s original neighborhoods.

The Anchorage Historic Preservation Plan will:

• Define the Historical Character of Anchorage’s four original neighborhoods.
• Research and recommend the preservation on certain buildings, structures, sites, objects, districts, and landscapes.
• Contribute to the development of preservation programs and projects for the four neighborhoods.
• Develop a set of historic preservation guidelines that can used throughout Anchorage.
• Involve the public at every step and milestone.
• Meet the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for the treatment of historical properties and standards for preservation planning.
• Meet the objectives of Anchorage’s local Historic Preservation Program.
• Meet the objectives of Alaska’s Historic Preservation Program.
• Make a positive contribution to the history and heritage of the people and cultures of Anchorage.
• Provide educational opportunities to our residents, including kids of every age.
• Identify locations and stories that will contribute to tourism and the visitor’s experience in Anchorage.
• Be crafted by Anchorage’s residents, interested parties, and supporters.
• Be adopted by our governing bodies as a component to the Anchorage 2020 – Anchorage Bowl Comprehensive Plan.

Learn more about the project here.

Property Tax Exemption/Deferral and Fee Waivers

In an effort to encourage redevelopment of underutilized, deteriorated properties, and to encourage economic development in downtown, the Municipality implemented a series of incentives for developers to help defray new construction costs, including:

1. Partial or total exemption from real and personal property taxation on “economic development property” for up to five years (AMC 12.35.040) to improve the feasibility or long-term viability of an operation, program or project;
2. Partial or total exemption from real and personal property taxation on “deteriorated property” for up to ten years (AMC 12.35.050) with boundaries that have been determined by the municipality after a public hearing; and,
3. Partial waiver or total exemption from municipal fees for development of deteriorated property (AMC 12.35.055).

Public-Private Partnerships for Parking

Developers building in downtown Anchorage (zoning districts B-2A, B-2B and B-2C) are not required to provide on-site parking for their tenants.  However, providing parking for employees, clients and customers is a priority for most major tenants and business owners.  Fortunately, Anchorage Community Development Authority (ACDA) is ready to work with and assist developers in identifying parking needs and providing parking solutions.  ACDA can assist in achieving economically sound projects for proposed private development by lowering parking construction costs and/or creating a potential positive revenue source for the project.

At the AkEnergyEfficiency.org website you’ll find information on some of the simple ways to save in the workplace, from establishing an office energy efficiency policy based on simple behavior changes to undertaking more significant retrofitting chores.

Developers building in downtown Anchorage (zoning districts B-2A, B-2B and B-2C) are not required to provide on-site parking for their tenants. However, providing parking for employees, clients and customers is a priority for most major tenants and business owners. Fortunately, Anchorage Community Development Authority (ACDA) is ready to work with and assist developers in identifying parking needs and providing parking solutions. ACDA can assist in achieving economically sound projects for proposed private development by lowering parking construction costs and/or creating a potential positive revenue source for the project.

Development Links with Parking

ACDA supports public-private partnerships that are financially sound and align with the mission of ACDA linking new parking development to private development projects. As development in downtown Anchorage continues, demand for parking will grow and ACDA wants to be a part of creative parking solutions for developers looking to add or create parking as part of their downtown development or construction projects.

Private Public Partnerships

ACDA can assist in achieving economically sound projects for proposed private development by lowering parking construction costs and/or creating a potential positive revenue source for the project.

Contact ACDA

Ron Pollock, ACDA Executive Director
rpollock@acda.net
Tel. (907) 297-4431

Governments establish and administer public policy – Policy should encourage and stimulate downtown development. To reflect this role, city hall should be located downtown, in the heart of the community.

Governments need to lead by example – Why would developers invest in the downtown when government is moving to the edge of town?

Downtown locations reduce auto travel – Downtown locations are well connected to transit. Government workers and the public have more options than auto travel. When government services are located in a central location, shopping and work trips can be combined with trips to government offices, reducing the length and number of auto trips.

Government workers support the downtown economy – Workers use downtown retail, restaurants and businesses on a daily basis. Their patronage is an important part of the downtown business economy.

Customers of government services support the downtown economy – Citizens visiting government offices will often use other downtown services. If government services move out of the downtown, businesses feel the impact.

Recommendations From the Downtown Comprehensive Plan:

1. Strengthen the hub of civic facilities, offices and employment Downtown.
2. Make Downtown a priority location for federal, state and local government administrative employment and services.
3. Concentrate on attracting and retaining Municipality of Anchorage offices and services, specifically.
4. Develop a targeted office recruitment program aimed at identifying and attracting corporate employers, such as native corporations.
5. Leverage public and private partnerships with assistance from the Anchorage Community Development Authority.
6. Seek to reduce development costs (e.g. for structured parking) through tax incentives or other means to enhance office feasibility.
7. Encourage office developers to utilize the Downtown parking exemption to enhance the feasibility of development, and ensure that other public parking (publicly or privately owned) is adequate to serve a growing employment base.
8. Co-locate office development with new parking garage development.
9. Consider parking provisions that offer parking providers with incentives to share parking resources.
10. Support a new Downtown location for the transit center.
11. Provide capital improvements to the surrounding streetscape environment along with marketing Downtown amenities to employers.
12. Establish incentives to make rehabilitation and/or redevelopment of older properties, underused parcels and surface parking lots cost-effective.

Innovative online mapping tool to attract business

“Now businesses will no longer have to leaf through reams of Census Bureau reports for demographic information or contact multiple city departments for basic data and documents,” according to Bill Popp, president & CEO of AEDC.

The free site gathers economic, planning, infrastructure, geographic and demographic information often sought by businesses looking to relocate or expand into a ‘one-stop-shop’ business portal on the Web. It allows users to view, create and print maps; find available commercial or business property; and develop custom demographic radius reports.

Commercial realtors are invited to post their properties on the site. Check it out here.