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Turnagain Arm Area Plan Revision
 Description and Background
The current Turnagain Arm Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1987. Municipal code calls for revisions of major land use plans every 20 years. Although there do not appear to be significant deviations from major development trends or policies for Turnagain Arm, a plan revision is warranted because the current plan is almost 20 years old and because Girdwood is no longer in the planning coverage area. Girdwood now has its own comprehensive planning coverage, as presented in the 1995 Girdwood Area Plan.
For purposes of this plan update, Turnagain Arm includes four discrete areas--Rainbow, Indian, Bird Creek, and Portage--each with a unique character and varied set of public improvements. Common to all the communities is the Seward Highway, which is a federal and State of Alaska scenic highway. Sections of Turnagain Arm continue to expand as tourist and recreation destinations, while the overall population has held fairly steady since the 1987 comprehensive plan. The recent Census 2000 reports a population of 297 permanent residents, 151 households, and 198 housing units in these four Turnagain communities.
The new Turnagain Arm Area Plan (TAAP) will provide general land use and development guidelines for future growth in Rainbow, Indian, Bird Creek, and Portage. The original comprehensive plan provided guidance for orderly growth with a balance between demands for community expansion and retention of the area's unique aesthetic and environmental character. This plan revision will follow those themes.
 Public Participation
The Planning Department's public outreach program started with a community survey, which was mailed to all landowners of record in the four communities. In addition, interviews were conducted with areawide stakeholders, including representatives from land management agencies, user groups, major landowners, and others. From these interviews and from the survey compilations, a set of key issues will be identified. A community vision for Turnagain Arm may also be developed. From this point will come the Plan's policy and land use recommendations for the next 20 years. Community meetings will be held in the area at the beginning of the process and after a draft plan has been developed. Direct mailings will be used to reach community members whenever possible.
Results of the survey will be posted here later this year. Upcoming meetings will also be posted as they are scheduled.
Upcoming Meeting:
Draft Plan release meeting TBD summer 2007
 Documents for Review
Issues and Opportunities Workshop Results
Community Vision Meeting March 6, 2007: CORE VALUES
Community Survey: CORE VALUES
Stakeholder: CORE VALUES
Preliminary Survey Results
1987 Turnagain Arm Comprehensive Plan
1995 Girdwood Area Plan
Anchorage Park Plan: Volume 3 - Turnagain Arm
Indian
Bird Creek
Link to the Seward Highway Project--DOWL Engineers
 Some documents require Adobe Acrobat reader ver 5.0 or higher. They may take several minutes to open
Contact Us
Project Manager:
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Thede Tobish, Senior Planner
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Public Outreach:
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Van Le, Associate Planner
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Mailing Address:
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Planning Department
P.O. Box 196650
Anchorage, AK 99519-6650
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Email:
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TurnagainPlan@muni.org
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Phone:
Fax:
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(907) 343-7921
(907) 343-7927
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Project Website: www.muni.org/planning/TurnagainPlan.cfm
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