On May 17, the Borough Planning Commission recommended Ordinance 2011-31 to the Borough Assembly by a vote of 5-2.  Members of the Planning Commission expressed support for implementing Vision Fairbanks and noted that it will take more than new zoning tools to redevelop downtown. Ordinance 2011-31 is a second attempt to create Vision Fairbanks-inspired zone types to encourage [...] Read More

There is a new ordinance to refine the Borough’s zoning code and create economic development tools to help downtown compete for investment. Sponsored by Assembly members Winters, Hutchison and Kassel, Ordinance 2011-31 is a second attempt to create Vision Fairbanks-inspired zone types to encourage investment downtown.   The first effort was defeated in a 4-4 tie on [...] Read More

In local politics, an issue is often decided by force of numbers at the public hearing.  If the force of numbers also counts among its ranks lots of people directly affected, then that third lever to decide outcomes – persuasive reasoning – is just a nice garnish.   But none of it worked last Thursday night when [...] Read More

With the Borough Assembly scheduled to vote on the Vision Fairbanks-inspired additions to the Borough’s zoning code on March 24, it’s a good time – the last time – to survey the benefits of zoning, as well as what could go wrong should the Borough Assembly adopt Ordinance 2010-09. A member of the general public might perceive in [...] Read More

The Vision Fairbanks-inspired additions to Title 18 are on track to be decided at the Borough Assembly.  Ordinance 2010-09 contains two new zone types which vividly describe a downtown of mixed uses – retail and commercial establishments, residents, and pedestrians – and provide a means to get there by protecting investment and value in downtown properties.  [...] Read More

Visual Light Transmittance is a measure of how much visible light passes through a pane of glass.  A high VLT score means you have transparent glass, a brightly lit interior space. Transparent glass also makes it easier for a person standing on a sidewalk to view the contents of the interior space.  For that reason, [...] Read More

The community economic development plan called Vision Fairbanks has generated much interest this election cycle.  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner’s candidate questionnaire and the Tanana Valley League of Women Voters’ candidate forum (story on KUAC) were both heavy with downtown issues. All candidates for City Council and City Mayor are conversant on plan details and claim some [...] Read More

The earliest of Vision Fairbanks’ implementation pieces are intended to set the stage for economic development and revitalization downtown. The first of those implementation pieces has been decided and the second is soon to come. On June 16, 2010, the FMATS Policy Committee unanimously voted in support of initiating an environmental process to study the feasibility [...] Read More

Ten months ago, when the FMATS Policy Committee decided that the Cushman and Barnette bridges would be one-way facilities in accordance with the 30-year-old Illinois Street Project, it looked like the restoration of those streets to two way traffic flow to revitalize downtown was as good as dead.  And there was reason to believe that [...] Read More

15,650 autos rolled through downtown daily in 1980.  Today, only 14,750 make the trip.  Factor-in Borough-wide population growth over the last 30 years, and the decline is even larger.   Attracting people downtown is the obvious cure to declining downtown visitation.  The FMATS Policy Committee will decide this week whether or not public infrastructure will play a [...] Read More