The Kenai City Council unanimously adopted, as amended, the city’s Land Management Plan. in 2018, the City Council approved a city-wide approach to land management through the development of the city’s first land management plan. Since then, the city administration has worked to draft a plan to inventory, evaluate, and develop recommendations related to city-owned lands.
City Manager Paul Ostrander tells KSRM:
“The Land Management Plan was something that had been in the works for almost four years here at the city. It had been a lengthy, lengthy process and this is the last step. The amendments that were in front of council came from a couple of different sources. They either came from one of our commissions as a suggested amendment or it came from a member of the public that the council wanted to consider, or it came directly from a council member as an amendment that they wanted to consider. The list of amendments that were in that memo were the 13 amendments that had been generated through this lengthy process of taking this plan through the commissions and in front of the public and through a council work session.”
The City of Kenai Imagine Kenai 2030 Comprehensive Plan includes economic development and land use goals and objectives to develop a land inventory and land use strategies to implement a forward-looking approach to community growth and development. The goals of the Land Management Plan incorporate many of these objectives and includes:
- Providing an inventory of City-owned lands with detailed information on each parcel.
- Identifying properties required for a public purpose or to meet a future public need.
- Establishing recommendations for individual parcels that are surplus to the needs of the City to assist in responsible development.
- Creating a comprehensive reference document that establishes a format for developing land management policies and procedures.
The city owns over 300 subdivided parcels, including wetlands, tidelands, lands surrounding the Kenai Municipal Airport, and lands suitable for a variety of business, commercial, industrial, residential, recreational, and cultural purposes. The Land Management Plan is an important tool to spur economic growth and improve the quality of life for residents and is key to the long-term viability of the city.
Click here for more information and search for Resolution 2022-51.