MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE ANCHORAGE PARKS & RECREATION Memorandum PRC 09-13 DATE: March 2, 2009 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Parks & Recreation Commission Monique Anderson, Parks Superintendent PRC 09-13 Van Buren/ 48 th Avenue Potential Land Trade Project Overview The Van Buren Street / 48 th Avenue Circulation & Access Improvement project is working to improve safety for the Spenard neighborhood as well as for two Parks and Recreation Department facilities in the area - Sisterhood Park and Spenard Recreation Center. Phase I of the road project creates a new access road (the extension of Taft Street South of 48th) for shipping trucks to access American Fast Freight (AFF), Anchorage School District (ASD) and Sourdough Express. This will eliminate the current use of 48 th and Van Buren as the truck route. A choker will also be installed along 48 th as a traffic calming measure. This is planned for 2009 construction. Phase II of the project seeks to alter Van Buren Street by eliminating its connection to AFF and the southern bays of ASD facilities which would improve the current safety and parking issues for both Spenard Recreation Center and Sisterhood Park. Land Trade Phase II also includes a potential land trade between AFF and the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA). The proposed land trade includes a 2.5 acre parcel owned by AFF that is adjacent to the school and park sites for a portion of 1.8 acres of the existing soccer field on the South end of the park. The soccer field and associated parking would be relocated as part of the project on the new 2.5 acre parcel. The purpose of the land trade is to allow the project to effectively achieve its circulation and access goal by creating a shared access easement for ASD and AFF to access their sites off of the Taft extension. Sisterhood Park is dedicated parkland under AO 84-199 and AO 90-71(S). Because Sisterhood Park is formally dedicated, conveyance in the proposed land trade would require Assembly and voter approval as described in the Code and Charter excerpts below. The project team plans to have this proposal prepared for placement on the April 2010 ballot. Anchorage Municipal Code 25.10.080 Use of municipal property for park or recreational purposes. C. Except as otherwise prohibited by law or by conditions of ownership, the assembly, with recommendations from the planning and zoning commission and the parks and recreation commission, by ordinance, may allow the use of municipal land formally dedicated to public park or recreational purpose for another municipal purpose. The special procedure required by this subsection applies only to land dedicated by ordinance under this section. (AO No. 79-170; AO No. 81-88) Anchorage Charter Section 10.02. Actions requiring an ordinance. In addition to other actions which require an ordinance, the assembly shall use ordinances to: (8) Convey or lease, or authorize the conveyance or lease, of any interest in lands of the municipality. An ordinance conveying an interest in real property dedicated to public park or recreational
Page 2 PRC 09-13 purposes is valid only upon approval by a majority of those voting on the question at a regular or special election. The Assembly shall publish notice of the election, including a description of the property by proper place name and legal description, and the terms and conditions of the conveyance. Public Involvement The Project Team has presented the potential land trade to the Planning and Zoning Commission and is presenting to Spenard Community Council the first week of March. The Parks and Recreation Commission recommendation will be forwarded to the Anchorage Assembly. Summary The proposed land trade will allow the Parks and Recreation Department to create a stronger connection between the school and the park and safe pedestrian access to the community recreation center. The 2006 Anchorage Bowl Park, Natural Resource, and Recreation Facility Plan recommends to jointly develop school-park facilities for improved access to play areas and fields at elementary schools. The proposed land trade would also allow us to strengthen our relationship with ASD to share in the use and maintenance of our parks. Recommended Action The Parks & Recreation Department recommends support for the proposed land trade between the Municipality of Anchorage, Parks and Recreation Department and American Fast Freight. The land trade includes trading 1.8 acres of existing dedicated municipal parkland for 2.5 acres of American Fast Freight land directly adjacent to Northwood Elementary. The land trade also includes the development of a replacement multi-use athletic field and associated parking. The Parks & Recreation Department also recommends that the Commission support the project team developing a Sisterhood Park Site Plan that includes shared parking agreements with adjacent ASD sites, pedestrian connectivity to Spenard Recreation Center and Northwood Elementary School, new soccer field development standards and design elements to incorporate the existing baseball field and amenities into the park design. This work should be presented to the Spenard Community Council and back to the Commission for their review.
Van Buren Street /48th Avenue Circulation & Access Improvements: LAND TRADE Parks & Recreation Commission Submittal February 20, 2009 Land Trade MOA and American Fast Freight Van Buren Street /48 th Avenue Circulation & Access Improvements DOWL HKM is working with the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) on a road improvement project known as the Van Buren Street /48 th Avenue Circulation & Access Improvements. As a part of this project, DOWL HKM has worked with the community, the MOA, and American Fast Freight (AFF) on developing a land trade for the benefit of both parties involved. This project is supported by the community and has been presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) with their support. The road project was broken into two (2) phases, which the P&Z approved the first phase with the condition to come back to present to them the second phase of the project once the land trade had been approved and more detailed drawings could be developed. The following figures have been included in this submittal for review by the Parks & Recreation Commission: Figure 1: 48 th Avenue/Van Buren Street Upgrades Project Phasing Figure 2: Current Property Ownership Figure 3: Land Trade/Property Resolution Figure 1 outlines the areas of the phased project for the upgrades to the 48 th Avenue/Van Buren Street project. Phase 1 has been approved for construction. The proposed improvements will provide paved access for commercial/trucking businesses along the proposed Taft Street Extension. The new truck access will eliminate truck traffic adjacent to Northwood Elementary School and the Spenard Recreation Center. This project helps divert trucks away from the entrances along 48 th Avenue and defines the truck access route for the ASD Surplus Building, Sourdough Express and American Fast Freight. This design will also benefit local residents by diverting traffic away from the neighborhood and creating a safer environment for pedestrians. The design and right of way acquisition is on a schedule that would allow for construction in the summer of 2009. Figure 2 shows the current property ownership boundaries between the MOA, AFF, and the Anchorage School District (ASD) surplus building. Figure 3 demonstrates the land to be traded between the MOA and AFF. An existing soccer field is proposed to be relocated as a part of this 48 th Avenue/Van Buren Street improvements project. The figure shows the two areas, highlighted in the solid green and the solid red color, as the land areas that are being traded. It is noted on the drawing that the MOA will receive approximately 2.5 acres of land and AFF will get 1.8 acres of land in this trade. Additionally, the MOA has promised to vacate a portion of ROW which will again go over to AFF as their property. Finally, the MOA is planning on changing the zoning on a portion of AFF property to accommodate their type of use. 1 P age
Van Buren Street /48th Avenue Circulation & Access Improvements: LAND TRADE Parks & Recreation Commission Submittal February 20, 2009 The MOA benefits in this land trade by getting a relocated soccer field with parking available for that field, and placing the field adjacent to Northwood Elementary. The existing soccer field did not have any designated parking facility. A memorandum of understanding has been drafted between the MOA and AFF. This memorandum is included in this submittal as additional information for the Parks & Recreation Commissioners to review. Since these lands are dedicated Municipal Park, the support of the Parks & Recreation Commission, the Anchorage Assembly and municipal voters will be required to complete this second phase. DOWL HKM has been working with MOA Parks & Recreation Staff and the community council on this proposal and they have seen our latest concepts related to this project and are in support. We will be going to the Spenard Community Council on March 4 to get a formal resolution of approval of our proposal and bring that to the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting for your review. 2 P age