What Anchorage Could Have Been - Snowplow Edition

With back-to-back snowstorms having smothered Anchorage with near-record-breaking snow this month, residents are once again in a foul mood. With neighborhoods still waiting on plowing, parents scrambling as the school district cancelled school for four days due to road conditions, and bus service also cancelled for days, residents have taken to social media to express their frustrations. Even worse for residents, the first round of snowfall, which left the city with snow that had the consistency of wet concrete, left its legacy in the form of canyon-level ruts on many of the city's busiest roads. 

I myself can attest to the severity of the ruts on the road: in my near-twenty years of driving in Anchorage, I have never experienced a more bumpier ride than I had this past week. While turning east onto Benson Boulevard from Denali Street a few days ago, I found that traffic at the light with the New Seward Highway had backed nearly all the way to Denali, spanning the length of the Midtown Mall. I thought perhaps it was a convoy of snowplows up ahead that had resulted in the traffic. Then I thought maybe it was an accident up ahead. But as I crawled closer to the intersection with the New Seward, it became clear why there was a backup: It was the ruts. An entire lane at the intersection was being abandoned left and right by drivers, as it had a deeper level of ruts that nobody dared mess with. Everywhere else, drivers crawled at slow speeds not only to save their tires and axels, but also to prevent a rut from suddenly thrusting their vehicle onto another lane, sending them into a collision with another car. I remember having to look at the two lanes on either side of me, checking to make sure that no car was sent my direction by the icy ruts. It was that bad. 

But as I look on at this near-annual collective rage from city residents, I am once again reminded of how things could have been had Anchorage approached city building with careful urban planning. I quickly made this map, seen above, of how Anchorage might have looked had it maintained an even coverage of urban density, perhaps, at minimum, with density comparable to that of the Bootleggers Cove neighborhood east of downtown. With the city's roughly 270,000 citizens in a more compact city, it may very well be that Tudor Road or International Airport Road would become the city's southernmost road. But this is a very rough, non-scientific estimation. Under this ideal version of Anchorage, half, if not more than half, of the city's streets, roads, and freeways are gone. This includes all of Dimond Boulevard, all of O'Malley Road, all of Jewel Lake Drive and Raspberry Road, all of DeArmoun Road, and all of Dowling Road. This also includes eliminating most of C Street, Lake Otis, Arctic Boulevard, and the Old Seward Highway. The entirety of the Minnesota expressway would also be eliminated. I've had this ideal vision of Anchorage in my head for many years, and while I have used this vision as a way to improve walkability, make transit viable, and make the city more attractive and livable, this fantasy map also serves as a guide on how not to overwork your snowplow and grader drivers. With snow crew from the state and municipality concentrated on a smaller urban footprint, it's safe to say that the nasty ruts drivers have been recently experiencing, which is the result of long neglect from overworked snow crews, would be a thing of the past. 

And yes, for those scanning the map for details, I've included some additional changes to the city! For starters, I've curbed the sprawl east of Muldoon Road. In West Anchorage, I erased Turnagain By The Sea entirely. Meanwhile, nearby, a green belt now surrounds Fish Creek; the trail that starts at Northwood Park now travels without interruption along Fish Creek and extends out to connect with the coastal trail at the Fish Creek Estuary. In midtown, I plopped down a park in the center of the business district. It's meant as a wink and a nod to the block bordered by Denali Street, 36th Avenue, Benson Boulevard, and  A Street. Before it became home to businesses like Walmart and Century 16, the whole block was grassland. I also included a large park in northeast Anchorage. Oh, and of course, I eradicated Tikhatnu Commons. 

4th Avenue: One Year Ago and Today

I stopped by recently to take the "after" picture of the stretch of 4th Avenue that is now under redevelopment. It is a jarring contrast to see this stretch without buildings. It is also a reminder of just how important buildings are to a street — they define a street. Throw in an architectural gem, especially one that incorporates the street's name into its design, and that street becomes an outright destination. A lot of debate will be had about the building that will one day occupy this block. But while the development that will replace this block may not live up to what was once here, I think it can be agreed that there is a worse alternative: nothing at all. 

This worse case scenario of nothing being built is not far fetched. In fact, Anchorage has already seen a former theater be torn down and replaced with nothing but a surface lot. Of course the theater in question — The Alaska Experience Theater, which occupied a purely utilitarian '70s-era building — did not tug at the heartstrings of Anchoraites, and it was demolished with little, if any, commotion. But similar to the current redevelopment project slated for 4th Avenue, The Alaska Experience Theater, too, was to be replaced with a much larger development. Actually, it was to be replaced by what would have been the tallest building in Alaska. Rising at over 20 stories, the Augustine Energy Center was supposed to take the form an office building on a parking garage podium that would take up the whole block, from G Street to H Street. But the project was to see groundbreaking at the worst time possible: 2008. The tower never got built. Today, though the debt ceiling crisis has been averted, talks of an upcoming recession continues, and interest rates meant to tamp down on unusually stubborn inflation are at historic highs, with more rate hikes forecasted for the second half of 2023 as of the time of this writing. 

Currently, the 10-story First National Building, which is also to be demolished for the redevelopment project, remains standing. But once that building is gone, nearly the whole block will be flat. Should the redevelopment project stall, whether due to macroeconomic forces or something else, downtown Anchorage will be left with a traumatic scar on its most famous street. This is not a defense to putting up anything on the site. I wouldn't be surprised if this redevelopment project, which I deem a superblock project as it will occupy most of the block, ends up a failure. All one has to do is look at the other superblocks on 4th Avenue: the Post Office Mall and the Sunshine Plaza, both of which are spectacular urban failures. The ConocoPhillips complex, the Egan Center, and the numerous parking garages in downtown are other examples of failed superblocks. 

This project is the largest undertaking in 4th Avenue since the post-1964 earthquake rebuild. Occupying the most centrally located real estate on the street, the developers will have to be very thoughtful with what they build. Hopefully they will think about 5th Avenue as well, as that side had long been an urban dead zone. Time will tell whether the redevelopment project was worth the demolition. But should the site instead go on to become a surface parking lot, we won't need time at all to appraise what got built. 

Block 41 Redevelopment Project

As of the writing of this post, the 4th Avenue Theater has been completely demolished, and demolition of the neighboring Adams Building, another building that has stood for many decades, has begun. For those who have not been keeping up with the news and are wondering what the demolitions are all about, it is part of a $200 million dollar redevelopment project being called "Block 41" by the developer, Peach Holdings LLC. The new development is to include Class A office space, retail, a hotel, housing, parking, and entertainment venues. 

Though artist renderings of the project were unveiled last spring, an article from Alaska Public Media confirms that the final architectural design is yet to be decided. This comes as no surprise as the renderings that were unveiled, displayed above, feature both the 4th Avenue Theater and the Adams Building beneath what looks to be a four-story structure (an official floor count has thus far not been given, from what I can tell). This initially caused confusion as some on social media speculated that this meant the theater was not going to be demolished after all. Of course, we now know that preserving the theater or at least the facade was not part of the plan. But with the developer saying that "elements" of the theater will be recreated, it has left people guessing as to the final design. We do know that the neon letters of the theater's marquee were taken down and stored away before demolition commenced. Whether the letters will be brought back for a new sign remains to be seen.

In all, every building on this block — except for the former Key Bank tower, which is presently undergoing refurbishment — will be demolished. Downtown Anchorage has not seen a demolition site at this scale since the 1980s, when whole blocks were demolished to make way for numerous redevelopment projects, including Town Square, the 5th Avenue Mall, and the ARCO tower. Before the '80, demolitions sites at this scale were last seen in the aftermath of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake. 

Demolition has started on the Adams Building

As I shared in my last post on this subject, I'm quite shocked that the developer went ahead with demolishing the 4th Avenue Theater in its entirety. It was very jarring to see the half-demolished theater in person when I went to visit the site late last summer. I never had a chance to watch a movie in that building, so I don't have any sentimental memories of the place, but nonetheless it was shocking to see it in its torn-up state. You think you are prepared to see it half demolished, but you really are not. I think it's safe to say my shock is over the fact that this was the most notable and famous building in all of Anchorage. And that's why this project is a gamble. 

I can understand demolishing the building but saving the facade. Countless projects across the globe have made use of old facades and incorporated them into new buildings. To demolish the theater in its entirety is a very gutsy move. It will be interesting to see what ultimately gets built, but unfortunately, I think future generations will look at whatever is built and bemoan the fact that the theater, with its ornate Art Deco architecture that stood out from a sea of '80s office buildings and utilitarian strip malls, was demolished to make way for whatever replaces it. 

A new tower (left) will replace the First National Building

I wish this project all the success it can get. As an urbanist, I'm a fan of new projects, and I love to see construction cranes in the air. Indeed, I am one of those who thinks a high-rise building is more attractive during its construction phase, with all its steel beams exposed to the elements before the curtain wall is installed. The worst-case scenario is that the project stalls and a giant parking lot in the heart of downtown Anchorage is all the city has to show for it. It certainly would not help the current mayor's legacy, a legacy that is already tarnished by resignations and investigations. Here's to hoping Block 41 really does bring life to this part of downtown.  

Anchorage Ends Minimum Parking Requirements

In a landmark vote, the Anchorage Assembly has voted unanimously to eliminate minimum parking requirements citywide. The proposed repeal of the parking requirements united Assembly members on both ends of the political spectrum, as it was championed by David Volland, a liberal, and co-sponsored by Kevin Cross, a conservative with a background in real estate. Mayor Dave Bronson, a conservative who  has often found himself at odds with the liberal-majority Assembly, is also a supporter of the repeal and took to Twitter after the repeal's passing to write that "there's no daylight between myself and the Assembly when it comes to the need for housing."  

The citywide repeal of minimum parking requirements actually represents a major leap forward for the city. Initially, the city's planning department drafted an ordinance calling for parking reform to only certain sections of the city. As this blog has noted in years past, efforts at zoning reform have usually focused on midtown and downtown Anchorage, with some attention also given to creating various "town centers" across the Anchorage Bowl. As the Sightline Institute notes, however, coverage of the relaxed regulations was extended citywide following input from members of the Assembly. 

While this is of course fantastic news, it does not mean that the wide barren swaths of asphalt between the island buildings of midtown Anchorage will fold overnight. It does, however, mean that we may see more creative uses of the existing parking lots littered throughout the city. With minimum parking requirements mandating that a property fit enough parking under a scenario of absolute maximum building occupany, many parking spaces are left untouched throughout the year. Thanks to the repeal, much of this unused space can instead become developable land for housing and offices in prime locations in the city. It was with the urgent crisis of the city's housing shortage in the backdrop, after all, that city leaders were able to pass this dramatic repeal. AK_Urban, a Twitter user who writes about Anchorage and its urban issues, made this excellent image that envisions new housing being built on the parking lot belonging to the Century 16 theater in midtown, under a scenario in which parking requirements are lifted.     

Unfortunately, even with no parking minimums, there will continue to be new developments that will voluntarily include new parking spots. Even Elizabeth Place — a new apartment building that was highly praised for reintroducing housing into the heart of downtown Anchorage, an area of the city that already does not require any parking — contains new parking spaces. The continued need to voluntarily supply parking highlights the deeper systemic problem of automobile dependency, which was compounded through the decades by minimum parking requirements and traffic engineers prioritizing the smooth travel of cars over all other modes of transportation. It was very easy to leave the boundaries of downtown Anchorage half a century ago and create car-centric haphazard development to the point that now the vast majority of its population cannot imagine getting by without a car. It will be slow going and will require decades of work and new development to make these areas outside of downtown into actual, livable places. But the citywide end to minimum parking requirements is certainly a leap  forward in the right direction. 

Demolition of the 4th Avenue Theater now Underway

The city of Anchorage is now witnessing what will undoubtable go down as the most significant — and controversial — demolition work in the city's more-than-100-year history. Demolition work at the 4th Avenue Theater is now fully underway as part of a larger redevelopment project being overseen by Peach Holdings LLC — which, in addition to the historic theater, now owns every property on the block. The demolition puts an end to a decades-long battle to preserve and restore the building.  

While much of the artwork and other artifacts inside the theater will be taken down and transferred to the city, the building itself is to be demolished entirely. According to the building's owners and city officials, internal structural problems were too severe to warrant a full restoration of the Art Deco-styled building. Issues concerning asbestos and lead were also brought up by the mayor, Dave Bronson. Additionally, Peach Holdings LLC states that restoring the Lathrop Building — the official name of the building housing the theater — back into operation as a theater or other similar use did not pencil out. However, Trish Neal, board president of the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation, disagrees about the building being in such poor condition and told Alaska Public Media in an interview that the opinions of structural engineers vary widely. 

As for my take, I just want to write that I'm actually quite surprised that the entire building is coming down. In May, when Peach Holdings LLC unveiled their sweeping redevelopment project to the press, it was speculated afterward on social media that a portion of the theater, or perhaps just the facade, would be preserved. This speculation was due to the 4th Avenue Theater appearing seemingly untouched in the renderings for the new development. And a number of years ago, the owners made a slight reference to the possibility of the building being gutted of the actual theater space while disguising its new use by maintaining the facade. I therefore assumed that this was to be the case following the announcement of this new project. As of now, it is reported that the theater's facade will be knocked down, and a reconstruction of the facade will take its place — it's something I find a bit bizarre. Projects around the world have creatively preserved and utilized old facades for the ground level of new high-rise buildings — a new project doing just that is about to get underway in Seattle — so I don't see why the same could not be done with the Lathrop Building. 

This project is going to be quite a gamble, and I am quite nervous about how this will pan out. As alluded to earlier, the Lathrop Building is just one of several buildings to be demolished. The Adams Building next door will also be razed, as will the two-story building that once housed Woolworth's. First National Bank, which is next to the former theater, will have to vacate its premises after being at the same location for more than 50 years. Apparently, the owners of Cabin Fever had held out and refused purchase offers from Peach Holdings for its two-story building at the corner of 4th Avenue and G Street. Ultimately, however, a deal was made, and Cabin Fever along with an adjoining business will be moving across the street to recently vacated space. The nine-story First National Building will also be demolished, with plans calling for it to be replaced with a new high-rise of similar height.

I think I'll go ahead and wait until construction begins on the new redevelopment project before I discuss more about it. For now, this is about the 4th Avenue Theater. I have been going past the old theater every week since this summer, and it was this morning that I saw the theater in its current half-demolished form. Its mutilated appearance is quite grisly, and it actually hurt to see the building looking the way it does now. The thick concrete that makes up the building is going to make for a slow-going demolition, I guess. All I can think of is the unfortunate circumstances the theater, and the city, found itself in. Sitting largely abandoned since 1982, there are adults today entering middle-age who have never had the opportunity to step inside the theater. But nobody walks down 4th Avenue or the surrounding streets anymore — it's a product of the automobile age and suburbanization. Downtown needs new investment. But the argument, of course, is how that new investment should be handled. From now, it will be up to Anchoragites and visitors to Anchorage in 50 years, in 100 years, to decide whether demolition of the 4th Avenue Theater was worth it. 
 

Stone Law Building Rises in Downtown

Construction has continued at a rapid pace at the corner of 5th Avenue and A Street in downtown Anchorage, site of what will become the Stone Law Building. As the name makes quite clear, the new building will be home to Stone Law Group, an Anchorage-based law firm that I believe already has a presence downtown. Despite the building being just two stories, it appears that it will be split to house two tenants. A real estate website lists the building as having restaurant space. 

Architecturally, I appreciate that the building's corner that faces the intersection will be curved. Facing a one-way street on the outer boundary of downtown, it softens the building's impact as drivers coming from the Glenn Highway into downtown approach it. As for the building's main color, while I originally thought of it as a bit odd, black does seem to be the fashionable color of choice for building facades these days, as can be seen when looking at the new building projects that arose recently in downtown Anchorage. I'm also glad to see that the building goes up to the sidewalk, giving that street corner a more urbanized definition. Interestingly, a closer look at the artist rendering shows what appears to be a large taxidermized bear ready to greet at the entrance. Should this bear actually materialize and be visible from the street, it will make for an excellent "welcome to downtown" marker. 

The Stone Law Building replaces a mid-century, one-story building that once housed the Rice Bowl, a restaurant that offered Chinese-American cuisine. By the 1990s, the restaurant had abandoned that building in favor of another location, and the building had since remained vacant with the exception of a brief time when it was a cafe in the mid-2000s.  

The Changing Face of Spenard

I've been wanting to cover this story for a while now. Those who have passed through Spenard over the last year may have noticed that a multi-building project has been underway at the corner of Spenard Road and 36th Avenue as well as alongside Chugach Way. The three buildings under construction are to make up what will be known as Ch'bala Corners, an affordable residential development that will feature multifamily and senior housing. Two of the buildings that will be fronting Spenard Road and Chugach Way will be three stories high and contain a combined 40 rental units. A third building that is also located on Chugach Way, a once seedy side street, will be two stories and contain eight units. The buildings will open in phases, with all three expected to be open for residents by the end of July. As can be seen in the image above, Ch'bala Corners (left) replaces a used-car lot and an abandoned mechanic shop. 

Looking west from 36th Avenue.

It's pleasing to see how the design of this project came out, and on a larger scale, it's pleasing to see the trajectory that this part of Spenard has taken in recent years. Regarding Ch'bala Corners — formerly known as Spenard East — the buildings are placed alongside Spenard Road, 36th Avenue, and Chugach Way, with surface parking and parkland located in the rear from which the buildings will somewhat wrap around. The first building that rose last year sits at the corner of Spenard Road and 36th Avenue. With the corner of the building meeting two busy thoroughfares, it would be great to see a greengrocer or some sort of retail space occupy that portion of the building. Unfortunately, it appears none of the buildings making up the Ch'bala Corners project will be mixed-use. I have read before that Cook Inlet Housing Authority, the non-profit group behind this project, has had trouble with signing retail tenants to its other mixed-use properties in Mountain View and Muldoon. But overall, the design of Ch'bala Corners is nonetheless an improvement when compared to Cook Inlet Housing's previous high-profile project, 3600 Spenard, which disappointingly fronts Spenard Road with a parking lot in the front. That said, having a new apartment building along Spenard Road that is single use with no retail at ground level is going to make for an awkward and bizarre site. It's quite unfortunate.  

Ch'bala Corners as seen from Chugach Way.

As alluded to earlier, the Ch'bala Corners development marks the latest in a string of projects along Spenard Road that is giving the area a new identity and sense of place while also providing Anchorage with rental units that are badly needed. Cook Inlet Housing closed the previous decade with the opening of 3600 Spenard, a three-story mixed-use residential building that sits opposite to Ch'bala Corners. The non-profit group then went on to open ThirteenTen West 32nd, a three-story apartment building that sits just off Spenard Road on—you guessed it—West 32nd Avenue. Outside of downtown, I cannot think of a better location for these new developments other than Spenard. For more than a decade, Cook Inlet Housing has been focusing on building affordable units in Mountain View and Muldoon, but those neighborhoods are located in the far-flung corners of the city. Mountain View itself is cutoff from the rest of the city due to the Glenn Highway. In contrast, Spenard sits between downtown, midtown, and the airport. The Spenard neighborhood also carries a cultural cachet and identity that no other neighborhood in Anchorage has been able to match, particularly among the bohemian crowd. It's obviously no match to Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, but for Anchorage standards, it's a destination with character that is worthy of more housing. Going forward, the city should seek ways to spur private market-rate housing in Spenard, so as to not rely solely on public housing initiatives.  

Transit Center Tower Project is Revived

A once-proposed 12-story hotel for downtown Anchorage that was later shelved has been revived, this time with the city partnering with a local group of investors to take on the project. Located at the transit center on 6th Avenue, the development initially made headlines in early 2020, when its unique design was first revealed to the public. Rather than demolishing the existing parking structure, the hotel would be attached to the side of the parking structure, with the building itself made up of prefabricated modular units that are built overseas and shipped to Anchorage, whereupon they would be "stacked" piece by piece. 

The project was to originally be built by a Bellevue-based developer, but after several disagreements with the city in 2020, the project was ultimately cancelled. This time, the founder of RIM Architects and several local investors are looking to revive the project. Having been recently granted a 99-year lease to the property by the Anchorage Assembly, the investors — organized under the name 6th Avenue Center LLC — now seek to secure private funding to bring about the new development. 

The downtown transit center in its current form.

While the new renderings of the hotel project feature a different design, the founder of RIM Architects states that the overall plan will remain the same. In fact, RIM Architects was tasked with the previous design for the original plan, before things fell through. Like the previous plan, the building will house a hotel; however, unlike the previous plan, a new hotel brand will be pursued to occupy the building. Previously, Hotel Indigo, an international boutique hotel chain, was slated to operate the hotel space. While the numbers are not exact yet, the building will have around 200 hotel rooms in addition to around 30 apartment units. The now boarded-up transit center, which would become the tower's base, is expected to have restaurant and retail space. 

I was quite surprised to find out that the People Mover's transit center is now boarded up. Apparently, the two-story transit center closed up entirely in 2020. I had not been to the transit center in more than five years, but in my last few visits, the place did indeed noticeably go further down hill. Numerous efforts have been made in the past to revitalize and upgrade security at the transit center, but, in the end, the hoodlums apparently won out. Now, plans call for the transit center to reopen with the new hotel complex, albeit its footprint will presumably be smaller as it shares the base of the building with new retail space. If all goes according to plan, construction is expected to commence in October, with the building complete by September of next year. 

Well-known Local Retail Moves Into Downtown Anchorage

Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop, a popular family-owned bakery that has been in operation for just over a decade, has completed the move to its new location at 718 K Street in downtown Anchorage. Located in a former medical clinic, the bakery will later be joined by Johnny's Produce, a shop that serves smoothies as well as fresh produce. Also moving into the building are La Bodega, a wine and liquor store with a loyal customer following, and That Feeling Co., a cafe that also sells houseplants. A physical therapy office is also expected to later join in what is being called the K Street Market. I'm quite astonished that this many businesses will be housed in one single-story building, but nevertheless, this is very promising news for this portion of downtown.

For those unfamiliar with the area, the building is located at the corner of K Street and 7th Avenue in a portion of downtown that is bordered by three major thoroughfares. While the three-lane one-way thoroughfares that make up the perimeter are bustling with fast-moving traffic, the area within this eight-block portion of downtown is characterized by its quiet two-way streets and unassuming businesses. It's an area that is ripe with potential for residential development in the core of the city. I have long identified this area as being a great candidate for such development, as has the city, as seen by the construction of Elizabeth Place, an apartment building that was built with financial help from the municipality three years ago. But while the opening of Elizabeth Place was a significant marker of achievement for the area, the opening of K Street Market is equally significant.

Until now, this area was known for housing small law firms and other non-public-facing businesses. But in order to attract residents, retail needs to have a presence. Thanks to the opening of K Street Market, that essential component is now in the area. In an interview, the owner of Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop mentioned the revitalization of downtown as being among her goals while also stating, "We're hoping people bike and walk here and make it part of their lifestyle." With the new shops opening in an area primed for residential development (and just one block away from the new Elizabeth Place apartment building), it's clear that the owners involved in this new venture share the same vision for the area as everyone else who wish to see a healthy downtown with residents living north of 9th Avenue.

As for the building itself, 718 K Street will retain its mid-century modern appearance. Built in 1958, the building housed a clinic for decades and watched as its nearby neighbors, Providence Hospital and Alaska Regional Hospital, left downtown for more open space. I myself was briefly a patient at this clinic toward the end of my high school years in the mid-2000s. My doctor was a bit of a cranky guy, but at least I got exposed for the first time to The New Yorker magazine and its droll cartoons while in the waiting room. As a one-story building, I think this might be, in my mind, the most aesthetically pleasing building in Anchorage. It exudes 1950s modernism and is uniquely characterized by its colored glass blocks sprinkled throughout the facade. I do worry, however, that should the area successfully transform into an urban residential neighborhood, there might be a community-led effort to preserve the building under the guise of historical preservation. Despite some of its charm, the building, with its blank walls and setback from the sidewalk, does not contribute to the area's street life but rather turns away from it by having its main entrance face its rear parking lot. I hope one day to see elements of the building's brick and colored-glass facade adorn the ground level of a six-story mixed-used building, with retail at ground level and residential units above.