The Legacy of Mayor Mark Begich

For those living in a cave, earlier this week we saw Mayor Mark Begich become Senator Mark Begich at the swearing in ceremony at the Capitol in Washington as he took over the seat formally held for the last four decades by Ted Stevens. With this new position, Begich could potentially continue his career for decades to come leaving a legacy for Alaska like that of his predecessor if not greater by the time he retires. While Senator Begich is just starting the prime of his political career, it's his handling of Anchorage that deserves tremendous respect and should not be forgotten. Not since perhaps the Knowles Administration in the 80s has Anchorage seen such great investment into itself. More specifically, when relating to urban issues, Begich has been a champion of responsible development and sustainability. From getting sidewalks actually plowed, to bus shelters across the Bowl, to the renovated McKinley Tower, what Begich has done for the city will go into history as a stark contrast to the slow growth and lack of urban responsibility of the 1990s.

Personally speaking, there were of course moments when I was not proud of moves made by our former mayor relating to urban issues. Begich's lack of action over the Wal-Mart controversy in Muldoon, his support of Glenn Square in Mountain View, and his plan to heal the intersection of Tudor and Lake Otis by simply adding more turn lanes were off puting, but hey, Mark Begich isn't Jane Jacobs. Speaking of Ms. Jacobs, President-elect Barack Obama is actually familiar with who Jane Jacobs was and the books shes written in the past about our cities and their urban issues. This doesn't mean Obama will be in lockstep with the urbanist mindset as he can't afford to exclude those in the electoral rich rural and suburban areas, but Obama unlike several of our last presidents does have the street smarts and knowledge as a resident and community organizer from Southside Chicago about what a city faces. I think the same goes for Begich. While Anchorage is a far cry from Chicago in terms of density, walkability, and social issues, Mark was born and raised in Anchorage and can appreciate the city like it's his baby in which he wants only the best future for it. But Begich also has to be practical if he wants to save his career.

With the not-so-proud moments that came during Begich's term, it's the good that came to Anchorage that in the end still outweigh the negatives. Look to the left of this post and you'll see links to the Anchorage Parks Foundation and Destination Downtown. Both were started during Begich's term, and both are proactive groups that are there to help get the public involved. Speaking of parks, Mayor Begich was successful in getting Anchorage voters to vote in 2006 (or was it 07?) for a parks bond. Something that hasn't happened in ages. The People Mover also got support from voters thanks to a mayor who believed strongly in our bus system. Anchorage voters were also swayed by Begich's pitch for a new convention center which would be financed by an increase in bed tax rather than residential tax. Other major changes that altered downtown include the expansion to the Anchorage Museum, the renovated McKinley Tower (formally MacKay Building), and the E Street Corridor from 9th Avenue down to, if things work out, a possible pedestrian bridge to the Alaska Railroad train station. A couple of other projects that would have altered the look of downtown but were not successfully given the green light included renovating the Delaney Park Strip, and building a multi-story mixed-use building on the corner of 3rd and H (the tower was cancelled due to the parcel of land sitting on weak Bootleggers Clay). Mark was however successful in getting a private developer to build a mixed-use tower in Midtown and getting businesses such as Credit Union 1 to open up a branch (the first bank in Mountain View in years) as part of a project to help revive Mountain View -- a neighborhood wide project also receiving the blessings of the mayor. Another historic neighborhood, Government Hill, also had Begich behind their back as the group behind building the Knik Arm Crossing (headed by former mayor George Wuerch) never formally received the support of our mayor. Begich did however take action and met with Mayor Menard of the Valley to work a deal for the creation of a transit authority that would oversee the linkage of the Valley to Anchorage via commuter rail on the existing tracks of the Alaska Railroad. Plans for the commuter rail are still being worked out.

There's certainly more good things that I can list coming out of the Begich Administration, but if there was one issue that got me out of my seat and applauding, it was the effort Begich put into working out a deal to save the 4th Avenue Theater. In the end, the building was turned down by voters to be under Muni property, but Begich gets an E for Effort for saving a treasure that could have been converted into a fitness center had a pair of developers had it their way (the developers eventually pulled out amidst the outcry from locals once it made print). Tonight, I think I'll toast my drink to our successful mayor and wish him many more decades of continued success. +1 Begich.

Alaska Then And Now

If you've looked around Barnes & Noble or other book stores these last few years, you've probably seen this awesome collection of books known as "Then And Now". Seattle, Portland, St. Louis, New York, etc, etc have all had their own Then And Now books made, and now Alaska's number has apparently been called. If anything, I'm probably just showing my lack of awareness, because this new book from Thunder Bay Press was released way back in April of this year. My bad. I did however find it in time so as to make it a Christmas gift for the parents. For those not in the know, the Then And Now series puts a side by side comparison of urban streetscapes from past and present together for whichever city the book is on. While previous editions of the series focus on one city only, the Alaska edition looks at our big three (Juneau, ANC, Fairbanks). Images from the Anchorage portion of the book include a then and now look at the present sites of the PAC, Egan Center, Hotel Anchorage, 4th Avenue Theater, Kimball Building, and even the White Spot Cafe among others. While the book is definitely a keeper, there are a couple clumsy factual errors made by the authors when writing captions for the images that make you think twice before realizing that the error is on their part and not some sort of new revelation on Anchorage history. Nothing major though.

Anyways all this before and after talk reminds me of a couple years ago when I scanned an old postcard I had of Anchorage circa late 1970s and matched it with a shot I took in 2005 from the same location (that being Gov. Hill, of course):


(click to view larger)

Obvious difference: A/C Couplet added not too long after the first photo was taken linking Downtown with the port and Government Hill. Also note the expansion to the Hilton (then Westward Hotel) which blocks off the view we formally had of the Key Bank, Westmark Hotel (formally Sheffeild Inn) and First National Building as well as the top of the 4th Avenue Theater sign. The Marriott Anchorage however looms behind as a new architecturally welcomed addition in the 2005 photo.

Spenard transformation controversy continues

I know it may start to become repetitive to our local readers whenever I post an article from the ADN that many of you may have already read earlier in the day, but I like to keep this blog as sort of a record/archive on all things urban related that even I myself can refer to when needed. Besides that, most of our readers actually come from outside. Ex-Anchoragites? Probably. Regardless, the holidays have been keeping me busy, but no I did not miss the extensive Sunday article 2 weeks ago on the long continuing controversy surrounding the transformation of a stretch of Spenard Road. Nothing really new in the article other than some new specifics on what will happen to an arterial road as well as the T-intersection of Fireweed and Spenard. Read the article and graphs here.

As for the Joop editorial, well I'm optimistic that the city learned from the nightmare that was the Arctic project. As a resident of West Anchorage and growing up attending West High, I can tell you that the span of Spenard from Fireweed all the way to Minnesota is indeed a disaster. Many seem to have a hard time believing that a two or three lane Spenard will be good for business, but look at the stretch of Spenard from Northwood to Airport Road in which Spenard goes from four lanes to two. Harley Davidson, Puffin Inn, and Gwennies(sp) Restaurant appear to be doing fine these last 20 years or so since the improvement while numerous new businesses such as hotels, dine-in restaurants, and a couple of coffeeshop trailers have sprung up in that stretch of Spenard over the last 10 years. Unlike lower Spenard however, the area of Spenard currently in question has something going for it that no other part of town has. Call it "hipster paradise" or whatever you want, but there's no question that Spenard has become what the city has long wanted Mountain View to become -- a bohemian district. From the numerous cafes, to the bicycle shops, to the ultra popular (and crowded) Bears Tooth Theater, Upper Spenard is culturally blossoming. What's hindering this new identity however is the 1960s era planning philosophy that puts cars and concrete as priority #1. Bicycle lanes, less surface parking, and mix-use buildings are some of the many solutions that will not get in the way of this new community as demonstrated in cities like Portland, Seattle, Vancouver BC, and other places that are taking smart growth seriously. Check out the visions had for Mountain View within the next 20 years as posted by Clark at his blog. Like 4th Avenue, Spenard and Mountain View can have their own hotdog vendors on the streets along with musical acts playing in a park. Lets not forget that west 4th Avenue itself was at one time a four lane road.

Bottom Line: Enough with the complacency. The Muni needs to reach out and be proactive in building its case for this great road improvement.

Anchorage in pictures

Just thought I'd post some street scenes and architecture taken recently during the bitterly cold clear days we've been having.

Anchorage Park Foundation Report Card

The Anchorage Park Foundation just recently finished adding up the critiques made by residents during the fall and have released its first ever Anchorage Parks Report Card with the final grades for each of the city's 54 parks. The final grades? Well it appears Little Billy will have to pay more attention at school. I didn't do an exact count, but it appears C's rule the map while F's and D's can also be found aplenty. Cheney Lake Park in East Anchorage along with David Green Memorial on 36th Avenue were the two parks that received A's. Hilariously enough, Minnesota Park (along Minnesota Drive) received an F. Can't say I'm surprised considering the trouble between the areas residents and its young rabble rouser's as covered by the ADN earlier this year or so. Anyways the Parks Foundation has the whole report card on its website along with a directory to help you find out which parks are in your neck of the woods.

Anchorage Park Foundation Report Card

joop in the dust

For my regular readers who expect that usual update or two a week, my apologies for the neglect. As a student in UAA, combined with the holiday season, this time of the year can be pretty tough. My days lately have consisted of heading to school at 8am, leaving school at 7pm, and working at the job till midnight. As a result, I may have missed some important news concerning the Anchorage cityscape as I have had hardly any time to pick up the papers or watch KTUU and other sources. Thankfully school is finished, so I may have a bit more time to catch up on the latest.

On a related note, as someone who works the night shift, the new JL Tower in Midtown has been really strutting its LED's in recent time and has made my work near the building each night more interesting as a new light show on the tower seems to take place every night. I was wondering how long it would take, but finally a nearby resident in the area took out the camcorder and started putting some of the tower's light shows on YouTube. The producer of these light shows can also be found responding to some of the videos and is a cool guy who will answer your questions. In the meantime, enjoy this rare show:

Mountain View on the rise

The Alaska Journal of Commerce published a great article this week on the continued revitalization of Mountain View. I don't know if I'd say Mountain View is destined to become the next SoHo as the article seems to imply, but seeing the effort coming from a barrage of local big muscle including the Rasmuson Foundation, JL Properties, Chevron, RIM Architects, etc (along with of course the Muni) does certainly paint a hopeful picture for this true Alaskan neighborhood. New buildings are also discussed in the article including the new Credit Union 1 which broke ground last month along with what looks to be a proposed two story building dedicated to artists or some sort.

While you're at it, here's a great blog dedicated to Mountain View by long time community organizer Clark Yerrington.

Vintage Anchorage

So I was looking through my way-too-large stash of Anchorage photos when I found this one collecting dust in one of my millions of sub-folders. I don't know the exact year, but I'd place my bet at circa 1960. Obviously you can't miss the McKinley Apartment tower on the left next to the old native hospital. But what gives me a hunch that this was just taken around the early 60s is that the bright yellow Hill Building (now City Hall) is standing proudly in the center of Downtown. The building was completed in... I'm wanting to say 1959. Also noticeable is the Turnagain Arms Apartments (in red) right above the then low density Bootleggers Cove near the Inlet. By the way, check out the smooth grade of 5th Avenue as it goes down into Bootleggers Cove. For those who have driven up 5th from Bootleggers, you could clearly see the difference in steepness. I'd assume the '64 quake, which hit that end of Downtown pretty hard, was probably responsible for reshaping the steepness of that bluff. Have any corrections, more facts, observations, or comments? Feel free to respond. Oh, and of course, click the picture for a much larger version.

Hillside may get some... planning!

Not really an interesting article, but the headline "As Anchorage expands, planners chart Hillside's future" is quite the attention grabber especially for some of our friends up in that neighborhood who may or may not be stocking up on weapons for the prophesied coming of the city planners! The article, published in Sunday's ADN, mentions how the city is looking to treat some of the problems to be had in the Hillside such as water runoff, city services, and commercial development. Again, if you need reading material to put you to sleep, this article is for you. If unlike me you are interested, there will be some public meetings regarding a plan for the Hillside to deal with such hard hitting issues facing the neighborhood. And yes, there's a website for the plan as well:

http://www.hillsidedistrictplan.com/