Fire Island Bakery Plans Second Location

Fire Island Rustic Bakery

Fire Island Bakery has announced that it is going to open a second location in the Airport Heights neighborhood in east Anchorage. The bakery has a loyal following, so it has a bit of the Moose's Tooth vibe going for it, except it may not be as well known. One reason for this may be that Fire Island Bakery is not located on a commercially zoned thoroughfare with on-site parking. In fact, you have to go  out of your way to get to the bakery as it is located in the heart of the leafy South Addition neighborhood, just south of downtown. And for that reason, I love this place. There are obviously not many neighborhoods that have a commercial business tucked inside it, but more emphasis on mixed-use zoning in the new city building codes is changing that as can be seen with the Rustic Goat restaurant that opened in west Anchorage a couple years ago. Anyways, Fire Island's Airport Heights location is expected to possibly be open as soon as this summer, and like its original downtown location, will cater primarily to neighborhood residents.

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.