Planning Commission

CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Minutes - Final Planning Commission Wednesday, December 18, 2024 7:00 PM Harrigan Centennial Hall I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Present: Darrell Windsor (Chair), Wendy Alderson, Stacy Mudry, Robin Sherman Excused: Katie Riley, Thor Christianson (Assembly Liaison) Staff: Amy Ainslie, Kim Davis, Ariadne Will Public: Jon Swanson, Cathy Li Chair Windsor called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. CONSIDERATION OF THE AGENDA III. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES A PM 24-15 Approve the December 4, 2024 meeting minutes. M/Mudry-S/Alderson moved to approve the December 4, 2024 meeting minutes. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. IV. PERSONS TO BE HEARD V. PLANNING DIRECTOR’S REPORT Ainslie told the commission that staff had begun researching the Islander Drive neighborhood following the December 2nd meeting, and had found a covenant recorded with the recorder's office improperly. She said a further update would be brought at a later meeting, after research was finalized. VI. REPORTS VII. THE EVENING BUSINESS B CUP 24-13 Public hearing and consideration of a conditional use permit for youth and adult mat sports at 505 Sawmill Creek Road in the R-2 multifamily residential district. The property is also known as Lots 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, Block 20, Sitka Townsite, U.S. Survey 1474, Tract A. The request is filed by Jon Swanson. The owner of record is Cortona Holdings, LLC. Ainslie introduced a conditional use permit for youth and adult mat sports at 505 Sawmill Creek Road in the R-2 multifamilly residential district. The property was the site of the old Presbyterian church. Baranof Bruins, a local wrestling group, had signed a lease in October to use the old sanctuary space for wrestling and martial arts CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 1 Planning Commission Minutes - Final December 18, 2024 practice. Ainslie said staff recommended approval of the permit, subject to attached conditions, including that the applicant obtain occupancy from the building department before continuing or resuming activities in the church, and that the permit would sunset on September 1, 2025, when the lease between the owner and Baranof Bruins was set to end. She noted that a conditional use permit for five short-term rentals had been issued that needed to be activated by January 30, 2026. The commission had several questions for staff and the applicant about the use of the building for mat sports in addition to other proposed and former uses. Questions included whether the building was still occupied by renters, if those wrestling would use the same bathrooms as renters, and if any plans for future development of the property had been given to the building department. Ainslie said that the building did not currently have occupancy and should not have any renters, and that the building department had not received any plans. Applicant and part-owner Jon Swanson told the commission that he expected the process to obtain occupancy to be swift and that the building currently had no residents. He said he didn't have a timeline for development, given the high cost of construction. There was no public comment. M/Mudry-S/Sherman moved to approve the conditional use permit for youth and adult mat sports at 505 Sawmill Creek Road in the R-2 multifamily residential district subject to the attached conditions of approval. The property was also known as Lots 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, Block 20, Sitka Townsite, U.S. Survey 1474, Tract A. The request was filed by Jon Swanson. The owner of record was Cortona Holdings, LLC. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. M/Mudry-S/Sherman moved to approve and adopt the required findings for conditional use permits as listed in the staff report. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Chair Windsor adjourned the meeting at 7:33 p.m. CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 2