04/09/2025 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

          SB 50-MUNICIPAL COMPREHENSIVE PLANS: HOUSING                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:17:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced that the  first order of business would                                                               
be  CS FOR  SENATE  BILL NO.  50(L&C), "An  Act  relating to  the                                                               
comprehensive plans of first and second class boroughs."                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:18:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  FORREST  DUNBAR,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  as  prime                                                               
sponsor, gave  closing remarks on  CSSB 50(L&C).  He  stated that                                                               
CSSB 50(L&C)  would add a  housing development plan to  Title 29,                                                               
which  would encourage  but not  require first-  and second-class                                                               
boroughs   to    prioritize   housing   development    in   their                                                               
comprehensive plans.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:18:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS opened public testimony on CSSB 50(L&C).                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:19:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANNA BRAWLEY, Community  Planner, testified in support  of SB 50.                                                               
She stated  that she was  a planning professional who  had worked                                                               
in  communities across  Alaska.    She stated  that  SB 50  would                                                               
connect  two  important  roles of  local  government:    creating                                                               
community visions and goals and  taking action to meet housing as                                                               
a community need.   She explained that  comprehensive plans, when                                                               
done well,  can build "community consensus  ... through practical                                                               
strategies."   She  stated that  comprehensive plans  entail land                                                               
use,  transportation, infrastructure,  economic development,  and                                                               
public lands  and facilities; at  the intersection of  these, she                                                               
asserted,  was  housing.    She   stated  that,  because  housing                                                               
challenges can differ from community  to community, the solutions                                                               
should  be locally  crafted and  enacted.   She listed  potential                                                               
challenges  to housing:   cost  of construction,  availability of                                                               
land,   aging  housing   stock,   necessity   of  major   repair,                                                               
overcrowding,  individuals  living   in  deteriorated  buildings,                                                               
aging residents  looking to downsize,  new residents  looking for                                                               
homes  to  buy,   affordable  rental  units,  et   cetera.    She                                                               
reiterated that  the local comprehensive planning  process allows                                                               
communities  to address  challenges unique  to their  area.   She                                                               
stated that comprehensive plans can  include creating a new plan,                                                               
updating  data  and  demographic   trends,  adopting  a  targeted                                                               
housing strategy,  or picking priorities in  a pre-existing plan.                                                               
She  concluded by  offering her  support and  asserting that  the                                                               
proposed legislation encourages, but  does not prescribe, how the                                                               
community plans housing.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:22:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. BRAWLEY, in response to  Representative Carrick, replied that                                                               
she had  previously worked with the  City of Valdez after  it had                                                               
updated  its  comprehensive plan.    She  reported that  about  a                                                               
quarter of  the housing  stock in Valdez  were mobile  homes from                                                               
the pipeline era.   She reported that residents  in Valdez wanted                                                               
to buy  homes but were  unable to afford  them.  She  stated that                                                               
she worked with  the community on updating the zoning  codes as a                                                               
way to  remove barriers to housing.   She said that  Valdez was a                                                               
great  example of  a community  using its  comprehensive plan  to                                                               
identify   housing    as   a   focus   and    follow-through   on                                                               
implementation.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:23:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MARGE  STONEKING, Advocacy  Director,  AARP  Alaska, stated  that                                                               
AARP   is  the   largest   non-profit,  non-partisan   membership                                                               
organization  in  Alaska  and the  United  States,  stating  that                                                               
AARP's mission is  to "empower people to choose how  they live as                                                               
they  age."   She  stated  that  housing  is critical  for  aging                                                               
residents  in Alaska.    She asserted  that  much improvement  is                                                               
needed,   from    availability   to   cost    attainability,   to                                                               
accessibility.    She  stated  that it  was  crucial  to  address                                                               
demographic shifts  in population, noting that  the population of                                                               
older  adults in  the  U.S.  continues to  increase.   She  cited                                                               
AARP's  Home &  Community Preference  Survey, reporting  that the                                                               
vast majority of  older adults prefer to live in  their own homes                                                               
long-term.  She  further reported that two-thirds  of adults aged                                                               
50 years  and older  live in single-family  homes and  85 percent                                                               
own the  homes that they  live in.   She also reported  that less                                                               
than  5 percent  of houses  in the  U.S. have  the accommodations                                                               
necessary  for moderate  mobility difficulties.   She  noted that                                                               
Alaska has  fastest growing aging  population in the  nation and,                                                               
because of this,  it was critical to  include housing development                                                               
plans in comprehensive planning  processes.  She asserted housing                                                               
should  include a  range  of size  and  price, and  accessibility                                                               
options.    She  asserted  that   SB  50  would  provide  a  good                                                               
opportunity  for statewide  encouragement of  housing development                                                               
to local jurisdictions.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:26:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER  asked  whether municipal  housing  plans                                                               
should include requirements for accessible accommodation.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. STONEKING replied that the  requirement was likely beyond the                                                               
scope of SB 50 but noted  that AARP advocates for a percentage of                                                               
local housing development to incorporate universal design.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER  asked  whether   a  housing  plan  would                                                               
include  requirements  for a  percentage  of  housing to  include                                                               
accessible accommodations.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DUNBAR, in response  to Representative Saddler's question                                                               
regarding  requirements under  SB  50, stated  that the  proposed                                                               
bill   would   not   mandate    the   inclusion   of   accessible                                                               
accommodation,  but  certain  local jurisdictions  do  have  some                                                               
provisions for  accessible accommodation.   He cited Title  21 in                                                               
Anchorage, Alaska, as  an example.  He commented that  he was not                                                               
aware  of   any  requirement  in   Alaska  mandating   a  certain                                                               
percentage  of housing  including accessible  accommodation.   He                                                               
further  cited Holtan  Hills in  Girdwood as  an example,  noting                                                               
that  they  set  aside  a   portion  of  housing  for  low-income                                                               
individuals.    He reiterated  that  SB  50  would not  give  any                                                               
additional powers  or place any additional  requirements on local                                                               
governments.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:28:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS,  after ascertaining that  there was no  one else                                                               
who wished to testify, closed public testimony on CSSB 50(L&C).                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:28:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER  asked  whether   there  were  any  local                                                               
governments   that    require   housing   to    have   particular                                                               
accommodations.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:29:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SALLY COX,  Local Government Specialist, Division  of Community &                                                               
Regional Affairs,  Department of  Commerce, Community  & Economic                                                               
Development  (DCCED),  at  the  invitation  of  Co-Chair  Fields,                                                               
replied that she would get back to committee with a response.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS entertained a motion.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:29:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HALL moved to report  CSSB 50(L&C) out of committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
There being  no objection, CSSB  50(L&C) was reported out  of the                                                               
House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.