The Petersburg Borough Assembly, serving as the Board of Adjustment, asked the local Planning Commission on Aug. 17 to take formal action on a tribal government’s subdivision request after the commission failed to consider it in July.
Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor said at a meeting about the appeal that with no formal action, the Assembly doesn’t know why the commission decided not to take up the issue.
“The mandate of the Planning Commission is to give a ruling, one way or another,” Stanton Gregor said. “If they so choose to reject this, I would like very clear directions as to why, so that we can, as an Assembly, either agree or disagree with their findings.”
Tidal Network, the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s broadband company, is building three communications towers in Petersburg. One is already erected on Mill Road, and construction for a second has begun at Papkes Landing, a neighborhood about 10 miles south of town.
The project is controversial: over the last year, residents repeatedly testified about their concerns with new towers in town.
In June, the Assembly agreed to sell roughly 0.23 acres of borough-owned land near the town’s fire hall to Tidal Network for the third tower location. The piece of property is part of a much larger lot.
In order for Tidal Network to buy that portion of the lot, the larger parcel must be subdivided. In July, Tlingit & Haida submitted a minor subdivision request to the Planning Commission, which failed with no second. Meaning, there wasn’t support to discuss or vote on the matter.
Tlingit & Haida appealed, sending the matter to the Assembly as the Board of Adjustment.
Assembly Member Bob Martin questioned whether sending the request back to the commission would be effective.
“I wonder what the point is, because we’ve made the decision to sell this land, fully aware of the intentions, and I think we’re just going to have a lot of drama in the next few months,” Martin said.
In response to Tidal Network’s appeal, eight community members — including one sitting commissioner— submitted written comments. All opposed the subdivision request.
The Borough Assembly unanimously agreed to send the subdivision request back to the Planning Commission, and direct it to take formal action. Assembly Member Rob Schwartz was absent. The next Planning Commission meeting is Sept. 18.
