Plan Overview

Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB) has written a historic preservation plan for the Willow Area Community (WAC) for inclusion in the Comprehensive Plan. This plan was created as a response to recent development activities in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, including but not limited to proposals for development of the proposed Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority (KABATA) and associated infrastructure, and construction of an Alaska Railroad spur from Point MacKenzie potentially to the Willow area. The plan addresses possible direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts to historic and prehistoric cultural resources in and immediately adjacent to the WAC area of a variety of projects that are currently underway or that are projected to take place in the near future. For the purposes of this plan, cultural resources encompass archaeological, traditional, and built environment resources, including but not necessarily limited to buildings, structures, objects, districts, and sites. These resources are usually at least 45 years old or older. This plan does not address paleontological (fossil) or geological resources.

The Willow Area Community Historic Preservation Plan was adopted on January 15, 2013 by Code Ordinance #12-056.

Plan Justification

The Willow Area Community Historic Preservation Plan and the associated predictive models are compiled as a basis for future planning, including planning future mitigation to address potential impacts of proposed projects. They do not in themselves constitute mitigation, nor should they be construed as fulfilling compliance or mitigative requirements of such projects under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 (as Amended) CFR 36 Part 800 – Section 106.