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.