Proposed land sale in Fairbanks raises trail access concerns near Rosie Creek

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) - A proposed land sale in the Rosie Creek subdivision is drawing concern from residents and trail users who say they could lose access to trails they use throughout the year.

The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation has applied for parcels of land in the subdivision. People in the area, along with trail users, say they don’t understand why the parcels were selected, because the locations sit on wetland. They also say losing access to the trails would mean losing part of the reason they moved to the area.

Residents raise concerns about wetland, trail access

Mary Knight, a resident whose property abuts the proposed sale, said the surrounding land factored into her decision to buy her property.

“I actually purchased my property specifically because the area behind it had been designated as a green space that was supposed to be preserved for trails, recreational use, community use, and so that was a big appeal of purchasing that lot in the first place,” Knight said.

Knight said the trail on her property is difficult to use for much of the year, describing it as “up to your like ankles, knees and water” in the summer.

“That piece of it was quite perplexing,” Knight said. “Most of it is not even walkable for most of the summer.”

Eric Troyer, a trail user, said the trails are used heavily in winter for mushing, snow machining, fat biking, skiing, walking and snowshoeing, and for hiking in summer.

“I’m always concerned when we lose trails because I’m an avid trail user across the whole borough,” Troyer said.

Troyer questioned whether the location is suited for its intended purpose.

“It’s supposed to be for affordable housing. It’s a long way out of town. There’s no public transit nearby. And a lot of this land is wetlands,” Troyer said. “So, any kind of building that’s going to take place is going to be expensive, and so it just doesn’t seem appropriate.”

Molly Yazwinski, a resident and trail user who grooms about 30 miles of trail in winter, said the parcels sit within greenbelt land connecting the neighborhood to the Tanana State Forest.

“So, losing that, everybody loses access to a public resource,” Yazwinski said.

Yazwinski said trail work in the area, including improvements funded through an RTP grant, has been done largely by community volunteers.

“It’s pretty frustrating,” Yazwinski said. “To see a public resource being access prevented is pretty frustrating.”

Why AHFC applied for the parcels

According to the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, the agency approached the Alaska Department of Natural Resources asking about state land that could be used for future housing.

“We’re working through a process where the state of Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources would convey lands to us that could be used for future housing development in collaboration with the local governments where those lands are cited,” said Stacy Barnes, AHFC director of governmental relations and public affairs.

Barnes said the Rosie Creek parcels are among six active applications AHFC currently has with DNR statewide.

“There are six applications that are active with the Department of Natural Resources right now,” Barnes said.

Daniel Delfino, AHFC planning director, said the agency asked DNR to help narrow down potential parcels statewide before identifying candidates near Fairbanks.

“We need to have places that are close to where Alaskans actually live that also have access to at least roads,” Delfino said. “So, the lands need to be close to people and they need to be close to roads.”

Delfino said AHFC has not yet visited the Fairbanks parcels in person.

“We still have not done site visits because it’s winter. We need to physically walk the sites before we can get a sense of whether or not these things can be developed,” Delfino said.

Barnes said the agency has not committed to developing the parcels if they are conveyed.

“It is true that some of the parcels that have been identified may not be suitable for housing development,” Barnes said. “But there is a lot of work that has to happen to be able to identify what future housing would be appropriate for the site, if any, again, in collaboration with the community.”

Where DNR stands in the review process

Rachel Longacre, chief of operations for the DNR Division of Mining, Land and Water, said AHFC applied for the Rosie Creek parcels, not DNR.

“AHFC Alaska Housing approached the state of Alaska DNR and said, ‘Hey, we are looking for land within our mission,’” Longacre said. “They’re the ones who applied for this area, not DNR.”

Longacre said the department is currently reviewing input on the proposal.

“We’re currently in our deliberative process. We are at the public notice and agency review point. So we’re collecting that input, and I couldn’t speak to what that is just yet,” Longacre said.

“Our decision referenced related actions. The public notice did not state related actions,” Longacre said. “So, in order for us to administratively follow process and not be appealed later for not following process, we decided to extend and notice properly all the way through.”

What the future may bring

Longacre said DNR will compile public and agency input into a final finding and decision, which could approve, deny, reduce the scope of, or approve in part the application.

“We can reduce the scope. So, let’s say we’re doing a land sale for 300 acres, and it may be deemed that only 150 acres are appropriate,” Longacre said. “We cannot expand.”

Longacre said specific, factual input carries more weight in the review than general opposition.

“It’s not a vote,” Longacre said. “What we need is specificity. Give us something concrete that says why this matters, what’s the use, what’s the facts to it.”

Barnes said environmental assessments and further review are still ahead before any development decisions are made.

“We need to identify whether the lands are even appropriate for future development, and we don’t have answers to those questions yet,” Barnes said. “Those will come as we do our due diligence down the road.”

Delfino said AHFC is not obligated to accept the parcels if the process moves forward.

“The letters that we put into DNR, it’s not a one-way street. So, if the process doesn’t go forward, HFC is not committed to taking these properties,” Delfino said. “There is no irrevocable choice that anyone has made at this stage.”

The public has until Sep. 21, to provide comment.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com