00                   HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 27                                                                   
01 Urging the Municipality of Anchorage to designate and help develop a portion of the                                     
02 Muldoon Estates Subdivision as a park.                                                                                  
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS, on October 24, 2006, the Anchorage Assembly unanimously passed                                       
05 Assembly Ordinance No. 2006 - 149(S) authorizing the purchase of property then legally                                  
06 described as Tract B, Muldoon Estates Subdivision, also known as the "old Alaska                                        
07 Greenhouse property," which is generally located between Muldoon Road to the west, the                                  
08 military reservation to the east, Debarr Road to the north, and 14th Avenue to the south; and                           
09       WHEREAS, before the foreclosure process that led to the purchase of the property by                             
10 the Municipality of Anchorage, Tract B, Muldoon Estates Subdivision was home to the                                     
11 Alaska Greenhouse and was operated and maintained as a private park and recreation facility;                            
12 and                                                                                                                     
13       WHEREAS the Anchorage Assembly has already designated the easternmost 12                                        
14 acres of the property as a park; and                                                                                    
15       WHEREAS, even though the property remains undeveloped and unmaintained,                                       
16 nearby residents use the property for recreational activities, including hiking, cross-country                          

01 skiing, dog walking, and picnicking; and                                                                                
02       WHEREAS the Muldoon area of Anchorage is home to some of the most densely                                       
03 populated areas in the state, and future development plans call for increased high-density                              
04 housing in the area; and                                                                                                
05       WHEREAS adequate park and recreational facilities are important for maintaining                                 
06 quality of life and property values in high-density areas; and                                                          
07       WHEREAS, on May 10, 2006, the Municipality of Anchorage adopted the                                             
08 Municipality of Anchorage Ten Year Plan on Obesity and Health, which noted the importance                               
09 of parks and recreation facilities to public health and well-being and included the goal to site                        
10 public facilities, such as schools, parks, and public buildings, in locations readily accessible                        
11 by walking, biking, and public transit to the residents intended to be served; and                                      
12       WHEREAS, if the western portion of the property is not included in the park, the                                
13 remaining acres will be inaccessible by public transit, greatly reducing accessibility by                               
14 requiring people to wind through neighborhood streets to obtain access; and                                             
15       WHEREAS using the property for anything other than a park would be contrary to                                  
16 the historic use of the property and would deprive the Northeast Anchorage and Muldoon                                  
17 communities of a valuable recreational asset; and                                                                       
18       WHEREAS the charter of the Municipality of Anchorage created neighborhood                                       
19 community councils where local residents and business owners can express opinions on issues                             
20 affecting their communities; and                                                                                        
21       WHEREAS the property is located within the boundaries of the Northeast                                          
22 Community Council; and                                                                                                  
23       WHEREAS the Scenic Foothills Community Council is located slightly to the south                                 
24 of the property; and                                                                                                    
25       WHEREAS, on October 15, 2009, the Northeast Community Council passed a                                          
26 unanimous resolution requesting the Municipality of Anchorage to designate the property as a                            
27 park and develop it into a park; and                                                                                    
28       WHEREAS, on January 5, 2012, the Scenic Foothills Community Council                                             
29 unanimously voted to support turning the property into a park; and                                                      
30       WHEREAS, on July 9, 2010, the Governor signed into law ch. 43, SLA 2010, which                                  
31 included an appropriation of $1,000,000 to the Municipality of Anchorage for the purpose of                             

01 developing a park on the property;                                                                                      
02       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Municipality of                                      
03 Anchorage to designate the entirety of former Tract B, Muldoon Estates Subdivision, as a                                
04 park and to work with the Northeast Community Council and the Scenic Foothills                                          
05 Community Council to plan for the development of the park.                                                              
06       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Dan Sullivan, Mayor,                                   
07 Municipality of Anchorage; the Honorable Debbie Ossiander, Chair, Anchorage Assembly;                                   
08 the Honorable Paul Honeman, Assembly Member, East Anchorage; the Honorable Adam                                         
09 Trombley, Assembly Member, East Anchorage; the Honorable Kevin Smestad, President,                                      
10 Northeast Community Council; the Honorable Mark Hill, President, Scenic Foothills                                       
11 Community Council; and John Rodda, Director of Parks and Recreation Department,                                         
12 Municipality of Anchorage.