Planning and Zoning Commission members on Oct. 22 recommended the City of Kenai amend its official zoning map along the Redoubt Avenue corridor to allow denser residential development.

The commission voted 6-0 to forward resolution PZ2025-29 to the Kenai City Council, recommending rezoning seven private lots and one city-owned tract to urban residential and two additional tracts to suburban residential. Director Buettner told the commission the request was intended to "allow higher density residential development that mirrors current development patterns and to eliminate duplicative conditional use permits along the corridor."

Staff said the proposed zoning would align the map with the Imagine Kenai 2030 comprehensive plan’s land-use intentions for the corridor and would make multifamily and senior or low-income housing projects administratively simpler where utilities are present or planned. The application was submitted by the Kenai Peninsula Housing Initiative (KPHI); staff reported support correspondence from the Cunitzee Indian Tribe and a private property owner, Alex Douthat. The city administration also recommended rezoning a city-owned 60+-acre tract to provide flexibility for potential future development.

Why it matters: rezoning to urban residential reduces minimum lot sizes and increases allowable lot coverage, which can make multifamily projects—such as the senior and low-income complexes KPHI plans—more feasible without repeated conditional-use permits. Staff noted grant restrictions on some donated parcels that require them to remain senior or low-income housing for about 30 years; requiring annual conditional-use reviews for otherwise unchanged uses would be administratively burdensome.

Commissioners asked about potential consequences. Commissioner Banks asked whether rezoning would affect financing eligibility for federal loan programs; staff replied it would not prevent USDA, FHA or VA financing and that those programs rely on metropolitan-area definitions and income criteria rather than local zoning. Commissioners also raised concerns about emergency access, service capacity, and the visual character of neighborhoods if multiple higher-density parcels are developed. Director Buettner and staff said any subdivision or building proposals would still be reviewed by city building officials, who would require fire access, utilities, and other site-specific protections during permitting.

Staff explained the technical differences: in the city’s regulations, the rural-residential minimum lot size is about 20,000 square feet (approximately 0.46 acres) while suburban/urban residential allows smaller minimum lots (the transcript referenced approximately 7,200 square feet as the RS minimum). Staff said urban residential allows greater lot coverage (staff cited an example of up to 40% lot coverage) and therefore can accommodate more units on a given parcel where water and sewer are present or planned.

Public notice: staff said notices of the public hearing were mailed to property owners within 300 feet and that the city had not received written objections by the time of the staff report. The commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to the Kenai City Council for final action; council has 30 days under borough code to act after receiving the borough and city recommendations.

Next steps: the rezoning recommendation now goes to the Kenai City Council for consideration. If the council approves, future subdivision and building proposals in the rezoned area will proceed under the new zoning standards but will remain subject to standard permitting and public-review processes.

Votes at a glance: motion to recommend approval of resolution PZ2025-29 passed 6-0 (yes: Commissioners Petty, Ersley, Krause, Fikes, Woodard and Reveal).