Anchorage Assemblyman Kevin Cross, embattled in his own community for being the primary architect of a rewrite of the planning document governing development of housing and commercial buildings in Anchorage, has started switching gears.
After getting pushback from residents in Chugiak and Eagle River, communities that have their own land use plan protected by state statute, Cross has called for a meeting with the community councils of Chugiak and Eagle River to discuss “Comprehensive Plan and Housing Future in the Chugiak-Eagle River Community.”
The meeting is Wednesday, Aug. 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in Room 170 of the Eagle River Library Building.
Cross is the sponsor of an ordinance that tears up the current land use plan for the city and borough from Chugiak to Girdwood and replaces it with essentially two zones — housing and not housing. That means density, which is pat of a drive to create “diversity, equity, and inclusion” in Anchorage.
In the early draft of the ordinance, “density” was named as a good attribute to aspire to in 13 sentences. In a later draft, the word was crossed out and replaced with “simplified.”
The original AO is at this link.
The stealth-changed document is at this link.
Those who support Cross’ density-equity ordinance say it will solve the housing shortage in Anchorage and that it will grow more diversity and inclusion. They say it will lend itself to better use of public transportation like buses, which are currently underutilized in Anchorage.
Those opposing Cross’ plan say that density won’t allow emergency vehicle street access during winter, when snow piles up on residential streets. Vacant lots and open spaces are used in winter for snow storage. They also point out that during the passage of the Title 21 comprehensive plan decades ago, Chugiak, Eagle River, and Girdwood were carved out as unique communities with their own plans.
The entire process has been a legislative learning curve for Cross, who is a successful real estate broker elected to the Assembly to represent Chugiak and Eagle River. He has been caught on recordings saying that he plans to make the changes in spite of what his own community council thinks.
“I’m nobody’s bitch,” he told a group of realtors, when describing how he plans to light a match to the entire land use plan. He also said the Title 21 plan would be unrecognizable once he gets through with it, according to recordings played on the Amy Demboski Show.
But he apparently is ready to have a conversation with those community councils in his district and may present to them a new plan that addresses their concerns before the matter is taken up by the Anchorage Assembly again later in August.
Beware battlefield conversions.
he’s trying to avoid the recall he saw coming. And maybe an ethics inquiry.
Hope Eagle River remembers he was all for this right up until he got outed.
Snort! I voted for him. Slap my hand really hard! This summer my neighborhood seems to have devolved to a “Spenard trailer park” ambience, what with the screaming kids and barking dogs at all hours. This was a decent neighborhood for 42 years – not so much now.
Same can be said for Anchorage. Once was a time I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
So glad I moved to the peoples republic of Juneau. We’re still small enough if we actually get motivated we can, occasionally, push back.
Yes – we ditched the beautiful Oceanview subdivision in 1981 and moved out here to escape the continual noise and conflict. It took 40 years, but here it is. Ha!
I’m wondering if we’re in the same neighborhood…
I think low income-high rise buildings would look great in Eagle River. After all they ARE apart of your municipality if I’m not correct. Why on Earth would they, who elected this gentleman, not want to be part of his grand plan? By the way, were is the methadone clinic on the hill side located? The “un-homed” shelter near Sand Lake?
He is far from a gentleman. I will leave it at that.
Wasn’t it the high rise buildings in Eagle River that SHOOK during the 2018 Earthquake?? ..Before changing the building codes to include high rise buildings, they need to reform the building codes or make sure the the construction builders need to know how to build correctly following the laws and not shortcut to cheapen the expense of building.
Building codes are adopted by the state of AK legislature and ratified by cities or not. Those who were here in 1964 believe in building codes which are only minimum safety codes. Prudent people might opt for even safer, commercial standards knowing the difficulties large earthquakes cause in places that have none.
High rise buildings in Eagle River?? To my knowledge there are no “high rise” buildings in ER. You know like the former BP building in Anchorage or the Capt Cook. So not sure what you are talking about. Yes multiple family homes were damaged in the ER/CH area during the 2018 earthquake, but to my understanding it had more to do with foundations and soil. Besides with a 7.1 quake even the best building codes will not prevent some damage.
High density doesn’t necessarily mean old soviet style concrete behemoths. It can be a series of 3 story buildings with tiny apartments all along the a road to pack more people into an area, like the constructions going up next to the VFW.
Have you seen Klaus Scwab’s estate? It is built to last forever and no density for Mr;
: “You will have nothing and be happy”. Why should he be instructing elected planners IN Anchorage Alaska to work against our property rights while receiving a stipend from us the tax payers?.
Anchorage Assembly are bunch of stupid puppets pushing 15 minute city agenda for the elites! We do not need high density housing. We need to fix the root cause of homelessness in Anchorage and stop providing services that draw in more homeless. Anchorage must not turn into mass homeless encampments like Seattle, San Fransisco, or Portland.
Pack ’em in and stack ’em like cordwood. We can be just like those other 3rd world countries living under tyrannical regimes. “I’m nobody’s bitch,” I’ve heard prison inmates use this phrase but not a real estate agent, class act.
Sounds like downtown Juneau.
By saying he’s nobody’s bitch, he proves he is. If you must tell people, unasked, something about yourself, you often prove their point.
Bottom line is that Cross’s only motive for being elected was to pad his pockets. He can’t get that toothpaste back in the tube. Eagle River and Chugiak constituents are not Cross’s “bitches” either. No one in the Eagle River or Chugiak council should back down and support his offer to exempt them. Cross and other assembly members have likely set themselves up for lots of legal troubles. Let them drown in it.
My thoughts exactly.
Follow the money.
Take a very hard look at who backed him. And his business associates.
You’ll probably find answers there.
Boy, the voters in Anchorage really know how to pick ’em!
So now we have Kevin”nobodys bitch” Cross for an assembly member?
Will that be his campaign slogan or is that his nickname for hangin with Meg Zaletel?
I wonder what made him decide to meet with Chugiak Eagle River community councils and not all of the community councils affected by his communist style approach to rezoning all of Anchorage to benefit his real estate investing business.
Reminds me of Berkowitz shutting down restaurants except for outdoor dining which he had prepped his business for.
Everyone I spoke with about the plan thinks He should just light a match to his seat on the assembly and move to a densely populated city in southern California and join up with Gavin Newsom for some real commie style ruling.
Take anchorage out also. We don’t want what Kevin is serving. I am not his play toy.
Yep. Ethics inquiry, anyone? How is that even done?
Kevin Cross may not be anyone’s bitch, but he sure is somebody’s bastard.
I’m guessing Les Gara or Dick Traini.
When Cross comes up for re-election I hope Eagleriver doesn’t re-elect him. However look what happened to Merrick, Eagleriver Re-elected her. Eagleriver-Chugiak need to start daily walking with God, fellowshipping with a church family so between daily reading God’s word and devotional and making better friends among church people during small group, they can tell the goats from the sheep even in picking better political leaders not Merrick and Cross (and I am uncertain about how Christian Allard is cause she chose to donate 5000 dollars to covenant house a hostile house against her Christian values). I bet those two’s families were and are friends and there are other “Republican” and conservative political families friends with them. Eagleriver’s problem is the same as Alaska’s problem it idolizes money and persons success by what their money can buy. Just because someone has money doesn’t mean they understand conservative principles.there are people with money who are plain o’ greedy and stingy and they have no character.
Kevin “The Bitch” Cross
Hahahahahahaha
Garbage in and garbage out. Anc residents who don’t vote regularly are the guilty parties. The rest of us can’t hold the line to keep poor quality representatives out.
Why is Kevin “I’m nobody’s bitch” Cross planning to meet with the Chugiak and Eagle River community councils ONLY? He should schedule time with all MOA community councils and prepare his a– to entertain questions at each of them.
Trying to dictate zoning, to force more room for the illegal aliens, check.
He doesn’t care what Anchorage current investors think. We fought and won all those battles and have a beautiful city because we did. He should be removed for only defending and securing his own feelings. How random.
So Mr. Cross only represents Chugiak-Eagle River? So the rest of us can have our home values devalued and live among the mess we see now on the streets of Anchorage? This whole AO is a disaster and Mr. Cross thought he could get by with it. We have heard his recording. We know what he thinks. We demand he convince the rest of the assembly it is a bad idea just like he convinced them it was great. Sure his friend Meg will listen.
Judy, you are correct Kevin Cross is the assembly member supposedly representing Chugiak-Eagle River. If you don’t like this AO then I suggest you get with YOUR assembly person and let them know how you are not in favor of this monstrosity. In fact they all need to hear from all of us. If you think this is something he came up with all his own and convinced the others, I frankly doubt that. These assembly members have bumped up against zoning regs for years, wanting to put shelters/high density housing etc in places the zoning didn’t allow. That was going on long before Kevin was elected and Jamie Allard still fought the good fight.
> That means density, which is part of a drive to create “diversity, equity, and inclusion” in Anchorage.
Translation “I’m going to put low-income, high-density housing in the middle of your neighborhood. You should probably put that For Sale sign up now.”
Typical leftist.
Ready to spend other people’s money, and destroy other people’s standard of living. But, when the roosters come home to roost, suddenly, he is all concerned about property values and quality of life. Well, in his neighborhood at least.
The big difference between Chugiak/Eagle River is that we are hard on the people that hoodwinked us to win our vote. We don’t keep re-electing them like in Anchorage. Maybe that city water is making zombies out of everyone. Yes, this one slipped in. But never twice. But he is very good at his chosen occupation and would respect his real estate advice. Politics takes a special talent. And representing is self explanatory.
Then why is Merrick a Senator. Eagleriver was supposed to send her home after two years as its representative. If Eagleriver was as conservative as it claims, there not be a Hiring at Eagleriver McDonald’s, which isn’t very encouraging about the independence of Eagleriver families. There was a time in American history, the teens couldn’t wait to get a job even courtesy at the town grocer or burger and soda shop but they also had competition with adults for jobs. Since Cross backpedaled, there is a good chance Eagleriver voters will vote him back.
Partially correct. The districting in ANC has been gerrymandered to the point that an inert carbon rod with several felony convictions will get elected in most districts solely because they have a (D) behind their name.
(And, I know the ANC elections are supposedly “non-partisan. Just because the letter is not printed on the ballot does not mean everyone does not see it.)
They want equity! I.e. to destroy any that you have in your home!! Its too much wealth for you to be allowed to control! Because they know better than you deplorable dregs!
Kevin Cross would make a fine used car salesman in sunny southern California.
It is in the muni’s best interest to give him a ticket.
After listening to him speak so highly of Meg Zaletel, let’s do a companion fair and pay the oversize baggage fee for both of their assembly seats.
We can leave it up to them to upgrade to first class so they can wine each other for free.
Everyone needs to take the time to listen to the audio recording.
Especially his constituents that will likely vote him back in as they did Merrick.
Sure. Why shouldn’t we fund them year after year for their cockamamoe ideas for them to turn on us and our investments. We’re just their dumb chumps aren’t we?
“I’m nobody’s bitch.”
.
What man worthy of the term “man” says that?
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Answer: Somebody who’s losing sleep over what his owners’ll do if he is perceived to cave, even a little, to the masses, themselves a wee bit vexed with Kev who, under color of law, took it upon himself to chuck his fiduciary duty, trash what people spent generations to build for themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods, while making a ton of money for himself in the doing of it.
.
So, in a stroke of mad genius, Kevin Nobodysbitch commands into existence the Two Tiered Equity Scam: Appease the Eagle River-Chugiak mob before they get creative with feathers and dark, oily, viscous hydrocarbons, tell ’em they’re exempt from the rest of Anchorage, who never mattered on a good day.
.
Any hardened cynic now knows, the rest of Anchorage was never anything but a big Monopoly game to Kevin Nobodysbitch. What’s left after Kev’s done with it matters not, boy makes megamoney, why stick around?
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Why would Kevin Nobodysbitch do this? Haven’t seen this much energy, since the Traini-Dunbar team told the Federation of Community Councils people were damn well getting mail-in voting whether they liked it or not.
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Answer might be some or all of what we offered at “Radio spice Assemblyman Cross on tape describing how to buy property with new zoning regs coming online”.
(mustreadalaska.com/radio-spice-assemblyman-cross-on-tape-describing-how-to-buy-property-with-new-zoning-regs-coming-online/)
Why would anyone want to spend most their life within a 15-minute radius? Sounds like a very dull existence indeed. 🙁
If you want to solve the lack of residential land problem, just build the Knik Arm bridge. Lots of vacant land across the water there.
…yeah but no property tax income for Felix, Meg, Kevin and the rest of the gang!
This bridge has been studied to death and each time we think they are close, somebody pulls funding or a land dispute erupts. Anchorage doesn’t want the bridge because the flight out of the communist paradise would diminish their importance.
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