It's no Longer Coffey Time

Dan Coffey's Anchorage

Well if you had not seen the mayoral election results from this Tuesday, it's not over yet. With Ethan Berkowitz and Amy Demboski pulling away from the rest of the pack with the most votes, the two will face each other in a Cinco de Mayo election to see who gets to be Anchorage's next mayor. What is worth noting, however, and this is the reason why I even make a post about this topic on a non-political blog, is what happened to Dan Coffey. Berkowitz and Andrew Halcro got into the race in January this year. Demboski declared her candidacy last August. And Mr. Coffey? He started campaigning in October... of 2013! Dan Coffey's campaign was as long as many presidential campaigns. Even the race for governor isn't this long. And like a presidential campaign, Coffey did indeed rack up quite a bit of dough from his relentless fundraising drive. In all, his war chest collected over $300,000, far outpacing any of the candidates. Finally, after one year and six months, it was election night. Coffey was looking giddy as he unexpectedly inserted  himself in a Channel 2 live shot Tuesday afternoon at a busy intersection crowded with sign wavers. But it is safe to say the happiness soon wore off as the election tally that night revealed him to finish... in last place (among the main contenders). Dan Coffey was Mayor Dan Sullivan's hand-picked successor to the municipal throne. What happened?

And it is this relationship between the mayor and Dan Coffey that makes AnchorageJoop jubilant in his election night implosion. You may remember that not long after Sullivan took the mayors office in the late 2000s, he hired his old buddy Dan Coffey to review the newly rewritten Title 21 codes. With Title 21, the city's design and building review standards, having just gone through a decade-long review in which developers and the general public had their feedback taken into account, the newly minted code was thought to finally be completed. It was a compromise between developers who fought against added regulations and the people of the city who fought against loosening regulations that would adversely affect their way of life. But with Mayor Begich gone and the conservative Sullivan in, Coffey was unexpectedly hired as an outside consultant to review and revise the newly completed Title 21. Needless to say, a number of codes and standards, which had already gone through a long and exhausting review process, were quickly nixed by Coffey. And not surprisingly, Coffey swung in favor of developers. Among the major changes made was Coffey's eradication of the designated density zones. So now, instead of having high-rise buildings only in midtown and downtown, you can now have a 25-story high-rise go up next to your house in south Anchorage. In addition, sidewalks no longer have to be on both sides of the street, thanks to Coffey's backroom revisionism. Ivan Moore captured the spirit of the frustration at the time with his column Bubba's Anchorage or yours?

Of course, this is just one of numerous other complaints that I and many others have had toward Mr. Coffey. As a man of low morals, Dan Coffey voted against the anti-discrimination ordinance, just as his master, Dan Sullivan, had wanted. Having spent years leading CHARR, a restaurant and bar industry group, it was certain that he would, as mayor, continue to protect corrupt bar owners and fight new regulations that promote public safety as he did when leading the corrupt CHARR. And let's not get started on the recorded phone call conversation in which Coffey talks about paying assembly members to vote a certain way. It was this phone conversation, recorded thanks to Dan Coffey's butt-dialing into the late Allen Tesche's answering machine, that is believed to be the biggest factor in his loss.

With this chapter in Anchorage history appearing to come to an end, what pleases me most is that even in the afterlife, Allen Tesche can still take down Coffey. Here's to you, Assemblyman Tesche.

New Archway Proposed for 4th Avenue

On Saturday, what was suppose to be a day at the dogsled races was nothing of that sort. With little snow, and temperatures hovering above freezing, this year's Fur Rondy dogsled championship was cancelled. But what did go on was a ceremony dedicating a new archway in honor of George Attla, a veteran of the races who took more victories during the race's long history than anyone else, and who recently passed away. But I'm not sure whether the arch was intended as a memorial to him originally. After all, this archway, which will apparently dub the area as the Mushing District, has been floating around for more than a year. But whatever the case, there you have it. 

I find the idea of archways intriguing. I was in San Diego last year and saw archways hanging at the Gaslamp Quarter, Hillcrest, and Little Italy neighborhoods. But whereas people in San Diego have been referring to those neighborhoods by those names long before the arches went up, I'm pretty sure nobody in Anchorage had ever regarded this section of 4th Avenue as the Mushing District. In other words, it feels too contrived. What sets this part of downtown apart so as to deserve its own place name? There's no theme among the areas businesses and no unifying architecture that defines the area. Part of me thinks this is the city's way of trying to spur positive development along this portion of 4th Avenue. After all, the arch will stand next to the one remaining block of "seedy 4th Avenue". But I don't think there's much that can be done to the more general area. Unlike west 4th Avenue, with its quaint small shops lined up next to each other, a block into the new Mushing District is met with block-sized buildings with blank walls. It kills pedestrian activity and explains why nobody bothers to venture east past C Street. It was a mistake to allow a parking garage to take up an entire block on one side and allow Holiday Inn to build a block sized hotel on the other side. And having the miniature highway of C Street going through it also doesn't help. But I digress. 

By the way, this isn't the first time an archway has been called for in Anchorage. A few years ago there was a proposal to put archways in Spenard. But while Spenard attempts to display its bohemian credentials, its not-so-bohemian reliance on automobiles makes Spenard a non-memorable place in which parking lots dominate the fronts of buildings, and where nobody walks from one place to another, with the exception of the giant strip mall that the neighborhood revolves around. Placing an archway in an suburban environment like Spenard would just look awkward. As miffed as I am about this new "Mushing District" arch, downtown is certainly a better venue to be hosting this kind of street decoration.

Alaska Legislature Building Update

Before on the right, after at left. Click to enlarge

  While I'm at updating how the new CIRI building looks, I might as well also provide a photographic update of the Alaska Legislature Building downtown. As you can see, it is a huge difference. When the building was built some 40-plus years ago, the sides of the building had no windows -- those were added later. Now, as you can see, natural sunlight dominates the interior. And no, you're not imagining things, the front of the building did get wider. The Anchor Pub was a two story building that sat next to the Legislature building and actually got its start as the Empress Theater nearly 100 years ago. The theater was shut down and the buildings facade was recladded in concrete to look like the Legislative building next door. Both buildings were at the time used by Interstate Bank. So yes, it was kinda sad to see the old theater go, but it's not like the building was being preserved to keep its 1920s appearance or anything.

Before and after as seen from 4th Avenue.

And while I'm at that, I might as well also provide a comparison of 909 Ninth Avenue, which itself was recladded about three years ago in what in my mind was a badly needed makeover.

909 Ninth Avenue. After at left, before on right.

                      With all these 70s era buildings being recladded, it makes me wonder what else will get a change of skin. Downtown is afterall dominated by 60s and 70s era concrete slabs. I suppose the new candidate in need of change are the two Westward Anchorage buildings that flank the Hilton's East Tower. Anyways, while the legislature building and 909 Ninth Avenue have been given new life, I'd still say the most famous restoration was the McKinley Apartments tower.

CIRI Building Progress Report

Facade work continues on the new low-rise.

I was in the neighborhood earlier today and just thought I'd snap a picture of the new CIRI headquarters, which as you can obviously see is nearing completion. I do have to admit that the building doesn't look the way I had envisioned it after seeing sketches of the design earlier last year. It's not as exciting, but then again it is extraordinarily rare that a building turns out exactly as it appeared in an artist rendering. Other buildings are expected to follow as the CIRI building is part of a larger development known as the Fireweed Business Center. 

Knik Arm Bridge in Dire Straits

This story has been developing since as early as November, shortly after the election, but now I think would be a good time to provide a brief recap on what has been happening with regards to the Knik Arm Bridge. Basically, with the state facing a huge deficit crisis due in part to the declining price of oil, the state, and the newly elected Walker administration that was elected to lead it, are now in full blown austerity mode as trimming down the budget becomes imperative. With that, it was not so surprising to see that shortly after being sworn in at the beginning of December, Governor Bill Walker has gutted the financing for the Knik Arm Bridge and the proposed road to Juneau, among other mega projects. Not so surprising considering that the bridge had long had a target on its back going back a decade due to the millions in federal dollars that it depends on. In late December the governor announced that he was bringing a halt to the Knik Arm Crossing and other projects which meant that KABATA (the state financed group overseeing the project) cannot enter into new contracts or carry out further expenditure activities indefinitely. Shortly afterwards, the DOT commissioner sent out a memo defending the Knik Arm Crossing and Juneau road project citing the consequences of not spending the federal money given for the projects. In response, Governor Walker promptly fires the commissioner with spokeswoman Grace Jang citing that Walker wants the priorities of his commissioners to align with his. Catching up to yesterday, January 19th, Walker has announced that the eminent domain process that KABATA has been using to seize and demolish properties to make way for the bridge landing will come to an end. The eminent domain actions by KABATA were particularly controversial due to the fact that they were seizing properties despite the bridge being far from being a sure thing (and we're talking before Walker's election). Some Government Hill residents accused KABATA of seizing property as a means to gain momentum on its side and make the project look more inevitable and hopeless to fight against. Last year Tesoro announced it was closing the neighborhood's only gas station and convenience store due to expectation that it was going to have to close. The little Subway restaurant across the street was also slated for eminent domain but has remained open. In his announcement, Governor Walker said he can relate to the business owner of the Subway shop and the service and employment provided to the neighborhood by it.

Since the beginning of this blog seven years ago, it has always been the position of Anchorage Joop to oppose the Knik Arm Crossing. Yes, this is a construction oriented blog that admittedly gets excited when large projects are in the works. But this is an excitement for projects within Anchorage. The Knik Arm Crossing is a project that leads out of Anchorage. Leading out with the bridge would be new development as the project would encourage a land rush on undeveloped land and continue unplanned suburban sprawl. In the process, Anchorage's tax base faces the threat of shrinking as the metro region takes on an identity more like that of a city in the Lower 48 in which the wealth is concentrated in the suburbs, leaving the city in dire financial straits. Only two groups have an interest in this bridge: Mat-Su officials, and private developers. Mat-Su officials have long favored the project as it would of course deliver economic growth to the Mat-Su Borough. In fact the Borough has been so eager for this project that they earlier attempted a now failed ferry operation that was suppose to float cars between Anchorage and Point McKenzie and serve as a prelude to the bridge's construction. Now the Borough is stuck with an unusable ferry, the federal government demanding its money back, and struggling to find a buyer (their latest interested buyer is a car rental company from Turkey). Meanwhile developers are salivating at the opportunities that come with opening land on the other side for it means they can relive the glory days of the 1970s when cheap undeveloped land was to be found in the Anchorage bowl for which another strip mall could be placed. For many developers, what matters is their bottom line, not the consequences that come with their preference for unrestricted deregulated development that is free of any long range city planning. The consequences range from the increase of traffic, to more incidents involving wild animals, an expanding city budget to cover roads and sewers, worsening health effects promoted by a lifestyle that discourages walking, and an aesthetically unpleasing cityscape. Now that Anchorage finds itself hemmed-in in each direction due to its geographic boundaries, the city is finding for the first time that it must rethink the way it grows. This is an exciting time to be in Anchorage for the city is finding itself in a transition. Increasingly vanishing is the practice of building on virgin ground as developers now find themselves increasingly having to redevelop previously built upon land. In the process, the cityscape is starting to mature. Trailer parks and pipeline era commercial properties are being replaced with more thoughtful higher density developments. With the city promoting redevelopment and higher density construction through its updated codes and long range plans, the transition is only expected to continue. A severe housing shortage makes the need for higher density developments more acute.

If the Knik Arm bridge is built, it will be a puncture that will deflate all the momentum Anchorage has going for it to transition into a higher density more walkable city. This is why I am very pleased with the decisions of  the Walker administration. I think it's safe to say Walker is also the man of the hour in the Government Hill community, which has fought a very emotional battle against KABATA for a decade now. Government Hill residents have been on the front lines of this battle, and for their decades long activism, AnchorageJoop salutes them.

btw check out Knik Bridge Facts, which I have had as a link for the last few years. Hasn't been updated since November, but there is loads of information over there.

Winter Construction Rundown: U-Med Edition

I call it U-Med Edition because it is only the U-Med district in which winter construction activity is really present. And it's hardly surprising that it is the U-Med that is seeing action -- it has precedent if it had not been obvious yet. Since 2004, we have seen the opening of the UAA APU Consortium Library, the Conoco Phillips Science Building, a major expansion of Providence Hospital, expansion of the Alaska Native Medical Center, UAA Health Science Building, three parking garages, and more recently, the Alaska Airlines Center, and the new Engineering Building. And I did not even give  a full list of the new buildings that went up at the UAA campus. Rather than slowing down, activity has only speeded up in recent years and this season is no exception. A new parking garage is under construction at the ANMC campus, while on Providence Drive there is a new First National Bank branch going up not far from a new pedestrian walkway that spans over Providence Drive.

Alaska Native Medical Center Parking Structure

My apologies for not having much information on this project. The garage is located right behind the main ANMC building, however, the garage may not even be for the hospital. Earlier last year, Southcentral Foundation held a ground breaking ceremony for a new three-story health facility. After my best efforts, I could not pinpoint the location of this new building (all I know is it hasn't gone up), but I suspect it has nothing to do with this parking garage. Also talked about earlier last year was the construction of a six-story hotel for hospital visitors. For a hotel of that size, a garage might seem appropriate. But there is no building going up next to the garage at the moment. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

First National Bank U-Med Branch

                Unlike other First National Bank branches around town, it appears that the bank is going for a more modern and state of the art look for its first U-Med branch. Makes sense considering its highly regarded neighbors as well as the overall well-manicured appearance of the district. A classic Midtown strip mall or gas station would painfully stick out in a setting like this. What I really like about this building is the fact that it will be right up to the street sitting at the corner of Piper and Providence. No parking lot and landscaping in front of the building. But this choice of layout isn't surprising considering that this project is being developed by Pfeffer Development. Pfeffer is also behind a string of developments on 36th Avenue in which those buildings also sit up to the street with entryways leading from the sidewalk. You can catch the progress on this building at the bank's official site.

Providence Drive Skybridge

Bringing UAA's skybridge count up to four is this new arch-shaped span that will connect the new Engineering Science Building with the newish Health Science Building. We've covered this as early as 2008, but now it's actually happening. The bridge has more of a visual impact than I had anticipated. Driving eastbound to UAA on 36th Avenue, the bridge is visible as soon as you come over the hill toward the intersection of 36th and Lake Otis. So it seems this bridge will be giving the U-Med District a visual landmark, at least from 36th Avenue.

So there ya go. One project left out of this U-Med rundown is yet another new parking garage, this one for UAA, for which work started last fall. Right now however, all that is there are the concrete foundations. I'll probably cover it by spring. Besides that, UAA has been looking at building a second Health Science Building, likely to be located next to the existing Health Science Building on Providence Drive. If you had not known yet however, the winds have changed and the state is using its red pen to lighten its spending budget. In addition, the recent collapse of oil prices is certainly not helping financial matters. With the University of Alaska dependent on the actions in Juneau, UAA may be seeing the sun set on its decade of construction activity.  

Mountain View Development Coming Along

Artist sketch on how the development is to appear.

I was in the Mountain View neighborhood the other day doing some last minute Christmas shopping at Glenn Square when I saw nearby that the new development site in Mountain View is quickly taking shape. Announced roughly at this time one year ago in late 2013, the site is being developed by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation as a mixed-use site that will house 70 mixed-income units (similar to Loussac Place). It's being billed as a mixed-use site, however, it looks like commercial development is expected to come at a later date -- and even then, it doesn't sound like a guarantee. 

Whatever the case, new housing, especially low-income housing, is welcoming news considering the situation Anchorage is in. Friends of Refugees, a national watchdog group, noted a couple years ago that refugee assistance services in Anchorage were no longer able to accept families of more than six due to the lack of available housing. For the normal market as well, times are tough as vacancy rates are low while costs soar. It is also good to see this development going up in Mountain View. Unlike Loussac Place, this site is located in easy walking distance to a variety of businesses, including restaurants, a bank, library, and grocery store. The Arctic Urbanophile also did a piece on the neighborhood's great potential. On a side note, it turns out that the Cook Inlet Housing Authority, which also invests in Mountain View, won the 2014 HUD Secretary's Opportunity and Empowerment Award for its success in turning the neighborhood around. Senator Begich and then HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan toured Mountain View this summer. Also, for whatever reason, the HUD website keeps referring to Mountain View as "Mountain View Village". Umm.. I don't know why.

The site as it appears now.

Downtown Surface Lots Expected to see Development

A congressional bill expected to be signed by President Obama includes a provision that allows the municipality to sell five parcels of land in downtown Anchorage that previously had restrictions placed on them. This includes the land beneath the Egan Convention Center on 5th and E Street, which formerly was only allowed to be used for civic purposes. The ADN has an article on the story today in which Mayor Sullivan pointed to the nearby Anchorage Marriott tower and noted that a development such as that would be possible on the lots being sold by the city. Three of the lots to be sold are in the area of 7th and I Street, which as you may know is in bad need of development as it is currently overrun by surface parking lots. 

Once upon a time these asphalt blocks had small cottages with gardens and lawns, but while a few remain today, much of the neighborhood was knocked out during the oil boom years of the 1970s and 80s, causing much uproar among Anchorageites and prompting a historical preservation movement. Anyways, for at least the last decade, I have imagined a better downtown Anchorage in which the empty blocks on the western end of the townsite are filled with five or six-story apartment/condo blocks, complete with commercial retail on the ground floor facing the street. 

Presently, you can live along the edges of the downtown townsite, such as Bootleggers Cove, South Addition, or Government Hill, but finding a living arrangement within the townsite bounded by 9th Avenue to the south, L Street to the west, 3rd Avenue to the north, and C Street to the east is quite difficult. Three years ago when I was in Antwerp, Belgium, I took this photo of residential buildings that I thought were a good example of what I'd like to see in west downtown. Finally I have an excuse to use this photo!

Taken in Antwerp, Belgium. Great city btw, worth a visit.

Alaska Gets its First Mosque

Islamic Community Center of Anchorage

                                              This one apparently escaped my radar for some time now, but work is still underway on what will be Alaska's first mosque, known officially as the Islamic Community Center of Anchorage. When I first heard that this building will secure the title as Alaska's first mosque, I was a bit confused as I thought there was already a place of worship in our city. Turns out there is -- but it's in a crammed rented space in a strip mall. This will be the first purpose-built house of worship which at 15,000 sq. feet will have heated floors for worship during the winter and separate areas for men and women. What's particularly cool is that the mosque will indeed have minarets. You can see more pictures as well as video that shows the various planned phases for construction of the mosque at the mosque's official website. While this construction project flew over my head, it did receive the attention of various outside sources including the Wall Street Journal. My favorite coverage comes from the blog 30 Mosques which does a great job putting a human face on the congregation. One source claims the Islamic community in Anchorage to be at around 2,000. As a result, funding for the project has taken quite some time, and the congregation is still asking for donations to complete the work.