The Soldotna City Council approved during its Apr. 10 meeting the appropriation of $125,000 for the hiring of a consultant to act as the project manager for the city’s riverfront development project.
According to ordinance 2024-12, the individual hired would be responsible for executing the Riverfront Redevelopment Plan, which aims to plan, coordinate, and implement multi-phase, complex redevelopment projects and programs. They would work closely with the City’s Economic Development and Planning Department and City Administration and provide regular reports to the Council.
City Planner John Czarnezki suggested that the timing was right to add this position and appropriate the necessary funds. “We’d like to capitalize on the momentum, [the] progress that we’ve had over the past two years and hire someone at this point to fill the role of the Riverfront project manager. They would coordinate, manage, execute the plan as it’s prescribed within the document.”
Czarnezki added that he envisions the consultant not only working with city and project administration but also initiating and maintaining communication with local land owners, business owners, nonprofit individuals, and other various agencies necessitated by the project.
“We would expect the consultant to develop a strategy and schedule for implementing phase one of the of the project. We would expect them to formulate and execute strategies to pursue additional studies. A couple of those were the regional housing analysis, and another was the public market analysis. And in addition, we would be looking for their guidance and their expertise on identifying funding strategies, funding opportunities, and strategies as well.”
Planning for the Soldotna Riverfront Development Project has been in the works since 2021 and is billed as a development that will create a one-of-a-kind riverfront experience that attracts locals and visitors with shopping, dining, and lodging in a walkable environment.
The project kicked off in October 2022 when the City contracted First Forty Feet, an urban design, community planning, and place strategy firm from Portland, OR, to oversee it. Then, a final master design was approved in 2023.
Overall, the project aims to redevelop 85 acres of land between the Sterling Highway and the Kenai River, adding expanded walkable pathways from Soldotna Creek Park downstream to the bridge, plazas, parks, and market space.
Information about the project, including the draft plan can be found at soldotnariverfront.org.
