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Anchorage
Citizens Coalition
“Your Voice for Responsible Growth”
Our goal is to make Anchorage the most
livable city in America Contribute
UPCOMING EVENTS
“Safe Walking - the foundation of healthy
communities”
February 5, Noon - 1:30pm, FIFTH Floor Conference Room, City Hall
 Anchorage Citizens Coalition
brings Lynn Peterson to Anchorage on Friday, February 5, 2010, to speak to
the health effects of balanced transportation systems. Lynn is a
highway designer and urban planner who chairs the Clackamas County Board of
Commissioners. She lives in Lake Oswego and has worked with 1000
Friends of Oregon, Fregonese and Calthorpe, as well as Portland's TriMet
transit system. Mt Redoubt's eruption interrupted her March 2009
visit, now we have another chance to work with Lynn. Her March 2009
presentation can be found at http://www.clackamas.us/bcc/peterson/alaska.htm
Also join Lynn for
"Green Drinks," Friday, February 5, 5 - 6pm. Bernies' Upstairs
Lounge
PAST SPEAKERS
Beyond Freeways - How to Link Land Use
and Transportation
Featured Speaker Robert Liberty
Friday,
June 26, 2009 from noon to 1pm at City Hall, 8th Floor Conference Room.
Robert
authored Portland's groundbreaking Land Use, Transportation & Air
Quality Study (LUTRAQ) laying the foundation for Portland's successful
development strategies that have grown jobs and income, kept property taxes
down, provided transportation choices, reduced energy consumption per
capita and improved air quality.
Learn how
transportation investments can build neighborhoods, commercial centers and
streets that are safe for transit, biking and walking.
Please
join Robert Liberty, lawyer & elected official, on his return to
Anchorage for this one hour presentation and discussion.
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 “Your elected regional
government, Metro is helping to make the Portland
metropolitan area an extraordinary place to live, work and play.”
Councilor
Robert
Liberty
represents District 6, which includes portions of NE, SE & SW
Portland.
Robert
Liberty was elected to the Metro Council in November 2004, and re-elected
in 2008 for a second term.
Responsibilities and initiatives
His
interests as Metro Councilor include promoting redevelopment in town
centers and along main streets, increasing transportation and housing
choices, conserving natural areas inside and
outside the urban growth boundary, and giving citizens a stronger role in
the regional planning decisions affecting our future.
Work and community experience
Liberty
is an attorney with 27 years experience in land use planning issues,
including serving as a staff attorney and Executive Director for 1000
Friends of Oregon, the nation's oldest statewide Smart Growth advocacy
organization. During that time, he served as President and an officer for
the Growth Management Leadership Alliance, an association of US and Canadian
Smart Growth advocacy groups.
Liberty
also has experience as a land use hearings officer for Multnomah
County, as an attorney in
private practice representing citizens and nonprofit groups in land use
proceedings and as Senior Counsel of U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer.
Education
Liberty
has received a BA in Political Science from the University of Oregon Honors College, an MA in Modern History from
Oxford University
and a JD from Harvard Law
School. He was a Loeb Fellow
at the Harvard Graduate School of Design during the 2002-03 year.
An avid
backpacker and committed bicycle commuter, Liberty
enjoys spending time outdoors.
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ISSUES
Knik Arm
Bridge
The goals of
this bridge work against Anchorage's plan to prevent sprawling development
and the problems that go with it. Turmoil at the top of the bridge
authority and a skeptical governor have started to shed light on this
troublesome project. This project was slammed by the Planning & Zoning
Commission and moved to distant years by the Assembly and AMATS.
That was challenged in court by a couple cities to the north who weren't
paying attention so we're repeating the process so they can hopefully have
their say this second time around.
We have
prepared a fact sheet we hope you will help us distribute.
Print copies and give them to everyone you can.
Read
ACC's comments
from October 26, 2009.
Highway
2 Highway Project
Is this the best
use for Anchorage's scarce transportation funds? If you want a fast road so long
distance commuters from Eagle River and Wasilla can speed up their trip
into Anchorage, this is the project for them! If you live in Anchorage, you
might wonder what's in it for you!
Planning
work on this huge $1/2 billion project is picking up with the environmental
review process now underway. Check out our H2H page.
Title 21- Zoning and Land Use Laws
Eight chapters have been approved by the Assembly. Six more are still under
review.
See our Title 21 page for more information and our comments on these
chapters.
Anchorage
Citizens Coalition is attending Assembly Title 21 work sessions to track
and comment on recommended changes. We are also making presentations at
Community Councils and other groups.
Urban Design and Climate Change
.
 In
Growing Cooler: The
Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change, a comprehensive review of dozens of
studies, published by the Urban Land Institute, the researchers conclude
that urban development is both a key contributor to climate change and an
essential factor in combating it. ACC is pleased to be part of the release
of this study.
Alaska's Statewide
Long-Range Transportation Policy Plan Update: Let's Get Moving!
It is time to quit wasting windfall dollars on yesterday's auto based
transportation system, and begin building a modern, multimodal system that
will serve the state through this century. Climate change is here. The
state's transportation vision needs updating. Read more of ACC's comments here.
The Good, Bad and Ugly
The Anchorage Daily News is posting submissions of pictures of Anchorage's
varied development. Take a look here!
Anchorage Pedestrian Plan
This plan was adopted by the Assembly with amendments on October 9, 2007.
ACC supported this plan from the start and spoke in support of it on radio,
TV news and a press conference on October 5 that was covered by all three
local TV news shows. People in Anchorage want to be able to walk safely.
Take a look at a report on Anchorage's KTUU on September 18, 2007.
"
... for the last four years, we have increased the efforts in improving and
expanding snow removal off sidewalks and trails. This is a huge and very
popular effort in our community. I can't tell you, I go to meetings where I
mention many things we are working on, I mention this item, they break out
in applause. It is a huge benefit."
Mayor
Mark Begich at the September 1, 2007 Assembly Hearing on this pedestrian
plan:
"Bicycling and walking make up 9.6 percent of
all trips. Yet bicyclists and pedestrians represent 12.9 percent of all
traffic-related fatalities, and only 1.5 percent of federal transportation
dollars are spent on bicycling and walking projects." Bicycling and Walking
in the U.S by the Thunderhead Alliance.
We are here for you!
We are
available to groups that would like to learn about Anchorage's
Comprehensive Plan and about the rewrite
of our land use laws.
To schedule a presentation email: acc
at accalaska.org.
Several new chapters are under review now. It's time to act!
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Northern
Design
 Buildings are
oriented to the sun, windows catch the light, entrances are sheltered and
protect the interior against windy drafts, overhangs protect pedestrians
and landscaping adds outdoor shelter. We support Anchorage as a more
livable winter city
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Compact
Land Use
 Zoning within
town and employment centers should allow for shops, restaurants, offices
and homes all within walking distance of each other - and even in the
same building. This photo comes from Vancouver, BC.
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Open
Spaces
 People choose to live here because of
our natural beauty, parks, trails and outdoor recreational opportunities.
ACC works to protect what we now have and to add parks in dense
neighborhoods.
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Traffic
Calming
 Streets are
more safe and attractive. Narrowed streets reduce high speeds.
Intersection "diverters" minimize cut through traffic, colorful
gateways invite exploration on foot and landscaping is attractive the
entire year.
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Transportation
Choices
 Public transit
is convenient because busses are frequent, bus stops are maintained,
sidewalks are clear of ice and snow and are linked to bike trails.
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Housing
Choices
 There is
something for everyone: well designed apartments, row houses and detached
homes are next to each other near the city center, and single family
homes on larger lots prevail in neighborhoods further out of town.
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"Great cities are simply collections of great neighboroods."
--
Walter Parker
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