Vision Document for fast-growing Core Area un

PALMER—About 25,000 people live in the Core Area, making it larger than most cities in Alaska. Every day some 20,000 vehicles travel through the Core Area on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway at peak location ns. The Core Area is expected to more than double in population over the next 20 years. More than 40 percent of the Core Area's total land base is developed.

However, much land remains vacant and is rapidly undergoing development. Guiding such development, so that it enhances the lives of people who live there is the goal of a Core Area Comprehensive Plan Update. The plan will establish policies to better manage development throughout the Core Area. For instance, the plan may address the number of residential buildings (density) within a residential neighborhood, or the types of uses permitted within a residential neighborhood.

A draft of the plan is online at www.matsugov.us under Planning and Public Review Documents. The review period ends April 29.

Wednesday, April 25, the draft Core Area Comprehensive Plan Update is the topic of discussion at an open house at Pioneer Peak Elementary from 6 pm-8:30 pm on Trunk Road, north of Four Corners.

The Core Area encompasses 91-square miles, mostly between the cities of Palmer and Wasilla. The Borough postponed a comprehensive plan update until another plan reached the draft stage, the Long Range Transportation Plan. Together the two plans synchronize the planning of traffic corridors with development.
The LRTP is in draft form and also online under Planning and Public Review Documents.

For more information call Sev Jones, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Chief of Planning This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (907) 745-9833.