Welcome!
Fall 2020 West Anchorage Snow Disposal Project Online Open House
Navigating this site
Welcome to the Online Open House for the West Anchorage Snow Disposal Project. You may begin navigating through this Online Open House by scrolling down, or using the dot navigation located at the right of this screen. You may also click on the posters to enlarge them.
This open house features information to update you on the West Anchorage Snow Disposal Project and to solicit your feedback on the identified preferred location.
Welcome!
We encourage you to gather your comments as you navigate through this Online Open House and send them to our team via email or mail. You may also scroll to the bottom of this page to leave us a comment.
The Online Open House will be live from October 16 to November 20, 2020. All comments received by the project team during this time will be considered during the final site selection process.
Reference Documents
Throughout this Online Open House, we reference various documents. You may download and view those documents at your convenience. Adobe Acrobat reader is required to view these documents.
Meeting Handouts
Project Fact Sheet
Download
Frequently Asked
Download
PURPOSE & NEED
The project’s purpose is to identify and select, and construct a future location for the disposal of snow in West Anchorage.
The existing location is leased from the State of Alaska and is located on land owned by the Anchorage International Airport. The Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) would like to own the snow disposal site for long-term use and operational needs. The current site is on a year-to-year lease contract.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE SITE
SITE SELECTION STUDY AND PROCESS
The site selection study summarizes:
- The process to identify a new snow disposal site
- Public involvement
- Site options
- Site screening criteria
- Reasoning behind the proposed site selection
A three step process was taken:
- Step One identified large vacant land parcels within the West Anchorage service area.
- Step Two evaluated the suitability of each site.
- Step Three was a detailed analyses of the sites which resulted in the final site recommendation.
STEP ONE: SITE IDENTIFICATION
Possible snow disposal sites were selected by comparing available, undeveloped parcels within the snow disposal collection area that also met the size and location requirements. Nineteen sites met this initial screening criteria.
STEP TWO: SITE EVALUATIONS
The second step consisted of two parts:
- The 19 sites were further evaluated against four desired characteristics. The characteristics evaluated were site zoning, the ability to operate 24 hours a day, access to the roads, and the land is available for purchase with no lease. Sites with a low rating for any of the four characteristics were eliminated from consideration.
- The remaining five sites were assessed in a more detailed manner.
- Two sites were eliminated due to the large impact on the recreational users of the area.
- One site was eliminated due to a sewer easement.
The two remaining sites for final analysis and evaluation were Site 5: Connor’s Bog and Site 9: Strawberry Bog highlighted in green on the map shown on the poster.
PUBLIC INPUT FOR SITE SELECTION
The public was invited to provide feedback and suggestions for other potential sites and site selection criteria for consideration as part of the Site Selection Study.
FINAL SITE SELECTION RECOMMENDATION
Connor’s Bog is a very desirable snow disposal site. It meets most of the criteria for a snow disposal site and has few drawbacks. The site would have low to no impact on residents and neighbors, is sufficiently sized and available for use, will have no operational restrictions, and has adequate receiving waters. The only concerns pertaining to the Connor’s Bog Site are the required wetlands fill and mitigation requirements due to its location on Class A wetlands
To view the full evaluation please download the Site Selection Study found in the meeting handouts section.
Meeting Handouts
Draft Site Selection Study
Meeting Handouts
Draft Site Selection Study
SITE SELECTION CRITERIA ANALYSIS
Strawberry Bog is a moderately desirable snow disposal site. It meets some of the site selection criteria for a snow disposal site. The Strawberry Bog Site would be located on land that is sufficiently sized and available for use, it does not impact existing park use, and it has adequate receiving waters. However, there are several major concerns with respect to access and neighborhood impacts of the site. The site would be located near existing and growing residential areas, and access may have to be through a residential neighborhood. Operational restrictions, such as a restriction on night time operation, could be put in place due to this proximity. Any restrictions that do not allow for 24/7 operation would make this an undesirable snow disposal site.
To view the full evaluation please download the Site Selection Study found in the meeting handouts section.
WHAT’S OUR TIMELINE? WHAT’S NEXT?
PROJECT SCHEDULE AND TIMELINE
This is the project’s projected schedule and timeline. The timeline currently shown is subject to change and dependent on funding and approval by the Anchorage Assembly.
This is the second public meeting and open house on the project. As the project progresses, additional opportunities to learn more and provide input will be available to the public. You can sign up for the project distribution list to stay up to date on project progress.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
Thank you for taking the time to visit this Online Open House to be updated on the West Anchorage Snow Disposal Project.
All public comments received will be considered by the project team and included as part of the final site selection process.
There are several ways to leave a comment:
Download a PDF version of the Comment Form below and send your comments to us via email or US mail.
Mail:
West Anchorage Snow Disposal Project
c/o HDR, Inc.
2525 C Street, Suite 500
Anchorage, AK 99503
Email:
Email the project team: [email protected]
For more information regarding this project, visit the home page of this site at www.westanchoragesnow.com. You may also sign up for our project email list to have project updates sent right to your inbox.
