At its meeting tonight (2-24-26), the Sitka Assembly will convene as the Board of Adjustment, a quasi-judicial body, to consider an appeal for a conditional use permit to operate a bus depot in downtown Sitka.
The Planning Commission denied Sitka Dock Company owner Chris McGraw’s permit application in December. He wants to relocate his downtown bus stop from Harrigan Centennial Hall to Oja Way, and build a pedestrian pathway with commercial spaces, food vendors, and housing nearby.
In his appeal, McGraw says the total number of buses operating downtown would be reduced under the new plan, and says there’s no evidence that it would cause additional pollution. He also says a lack of standards prevents the commission from making a fair and consistent decision.
In a memo, Planning and Community Development Director Amy Ainslie said it’s the role of the assembly to consider whether the commission “fairly and adequately considered all factors and evidence in arriving at its decision.”
In other business, the assembly will consider allocating funds to initiate a five-year contract for body-worn cameras for the Sitka Police Department.
The Sitka Assembly meets at 6 p.m. tonight, overlapping with President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. Raven News will broadcast the State of the Union starting at 5 p.m., and will rejoin the assembly meeting after NPR’s special coverage of the President’s address concludes. You can stream the assembly meeting on the city’s website here. KCAW will also post audio of the entire assembly meeting to our website.
