Whether you rent or buy, housing in Sitka is expensive–median home values and rent prices are consistently among the highest in the state. So, some Sitkans are adding cabins and mother-in-law apartments to their properties to help pay their mortgages and expand Sitka’s tight rental market. Affordable housing advocates want the city to make so-called “Accessory Dwelling Units,” or ADUs, easier to build.

Before the pandemic, 31-year-old Adrienne Wilber lived a transient lifestyle. 

She worked as a mate and crewmember, traveling the world aboard a nonprofit sailing ship, and returned to her hometown of Sitka a few months out of the year. That’s where she was in March 2020 when she found out her entire work season was cancelled.

“I knew that if I didn’t have anything to occupy my time, the like already pretty intense mental strains of the pandemic would just be way worse for me. So I needed something,” she said.

Wilber’s “pandemic project” is a small cottage in the corner of her parent’s property. It’s the first house she’s ever built. The walls and the roof are up but the inside of the 600 square foot studio still needs work.

Before Wilber started this project, she’d never heard of an accessory dwelling unit. She learned from the city planning department that ADU is a catchall term for a small but complete living space added to an existing house, or built nearby on the same lot.

Now, she’s an ADU advocate. She says she’d never be able to buy a home in Sitka on her non-profit salary. And she thinks if more homeowners add them, it could help some of her friends who’ve struggled to find affordable, long-term housing solutions in a place where buildable land is limited.

“Just think, if every house on this block could fit another individual or two people living there in their own house. Maybe you still have a landlord, maybe you still have a relationship with the people who’s land you are living on, but it does provide more options, and people need more options,” she said.

ADUs can also help homeowners. Aaron Routon and his wife tacked a second story apartment onto their house when they were building a downstairs addition. Routon said the income from renting it to a friend helps him and his wife afford things like after school activities for his three kids.

“It’s really big for us as far as the income it generates,” Routon said. “It really allows us the freedom and flexibility to go south and see family there. It also takes some of the pressure off a tighter budget.”

It’s not just Sitkans who are turning to ADUs to help address housing affordability. Anchorage revised their regulations in 2018 to make them easier to build. And Juneau started a $6000 grant program in 2017 for homeowners who want to add one to their properties. Over 30 people have taken advantage of the program since.

Jeannette Lee works on housing issues in Alaska for the Sightline Institute, a public policy think tank. She said many cities are turning to ADUs as a way to increase population density while still preserving the character of a neighborhood.

“If you create a better…regulatory environment for ADUs, what happens is homeowners can benefit because ADUs increase property values. But if they’re turned into rentals, then you create better conditions in the rental market by providing more choice, more competition,” Lee said.

Lee said cities could do more to encourage ADUs by reducing parking requirements, allowing them in more zones, and streamlining the permitting process.

Sitka’s current ADU policy was created in 2013 and revised in 2015 to make it less restrictive. Right now, they’re allowed outright in many parts of the city as long as they meet a set of 14 conditions, which include things like parking and design requirements. 

But there are still some zones where they’re not allowed at all and others where homeowners are required to get planning commission approval no matter what through a conditional use permit process. And there are no tax breaks or incentive programs to help defray the high cost of construction.

Sitka resident and District 35 Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has long been a proponent of ADUs to address affordable housing. He thinks Sitka could look to other cities to update their policy.

“Basically my view is like, if Sitka wants to be serious about affordable housing and more housing, it can’t just nibble around the edges at public policy. It needs to like commit itself to a solution,” he said. “So I mean like having a much more aggressive ADU policy than currently exists.”

Sitka’s planning commission has identified allowing ADUs by right in more zones as a top priority in addressing affordable housing issues, along with reducing minimum lot sizes and encouraging denser development.

But at a recent meeting, commissioners said they wanted to make the process more restrictive, by requiring anyone who wants to build an ADU to get a conditional use permit. That way neighbors have a chance to weigh in with things like parking and noise concerns in every case.

Twenty-eight-year-old Katie Riley was the lone member opposed. She said she sees a lot of community support for ADUs, and as a young person in Sitka, affordable housing is a major concern.

“So that, to me, just doesn’t seem like the right direction,” she said. “If we are trying to encourage creative solutions, making the process harder for people to pursue those solutions.”

Whether city policy is actually hurting or helping ADU construction is unknown. Neither the planning or building department keep records of how many ADUs are built each year. Since 2013, 11 have been approved by the planning commission, but that doesn’t include anyone who didn’t need approval through the conditional use permit process.

Wilber, who’s building the cottage in her parent’s yard, said she wasn’t deterred by the process. She had support from friends and family, and the time to put in her own labor. But she knows that isn’t the case for everyone. She sees ADUs as just one piece of Sitka’s affordable housing solution.

“It is a powerful tool as part of what would need to be a multi, multi-part plan.”

When she’ll finish her cottage or whether she’ll move in permanently is yet to be determined. But, she said, it’s nice to have options and to learn a new skill along the way.

Throughout April and May, KCAW News will be bringing you stories about affordable housing solutions every Friday as part of our “Building Solutions” series. Erin McKinstry is a Report for America corps member.

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The commercial and subsistence herring seasons in Sitka have drawn to a close. But the legal case between Sitka Tribe of Alaska and the state continues, with a Juneau Superior Court judge recently denying Sitka Tribe’s motion for summary judgement on constitutional grounds.

Last fall, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska won two victories against the state in the fight over its management of the Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring Fishery. And in January the legal team representing STA made its third case, arguing that the state had not met its constitutional duties in its operation of the fishery. Juneau Superior Court Judge Daniel Schally denied STA’s claim in a ruling issued last month.

Read the full decision here

During oral argument in January, attorneys representing STA argued that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is required under certain clauses of the Alaska State Constitution to use the “best available information” when making management decisions about the fishery. They argued that the state had not used the “best available information” during the 2018-2019 season when it failed to provide a subsistence harvest data report and a scientific study reviewing the state’s model to the Board of Fish.

After the hearing, it took Judge Schally nearly eight weeks to issue a ruling. In his 13 page decision, Schally wrote that the state’s constitution does not require the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to use the “best available information.”

Schally wrote that if there was a requirement for “best available information” in the state’s constitution, it would not be up to the courts to decide what that is.

Schally cited one example–Kanuk versus the State Department of Natural Resources. In this 2014 case- a group of youth sued the state, arguing that the state was violating its constitution by not using the “best available science” to mitigate climate change. The judge dismissed the case, and determined that the state’s legislative and executive branches should define “best available science” rather than the courts. 

Schally wrote that “the legislature has the knowledge and ability to draft statutes” that would require the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to use the “Best Available Information.”

KCAW reached out to attorneys from the state and STA for comment on the ruling. In an email to KCAW, Assistant Attorney General Maria Bahr wrote “The [state] Department of Law is pleased with the decision and we believe the case is nearing conclusion.”

According to court documents, both parties along with intervenors in the suit are scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial conference next month, with a trial date set for June 1. 

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Thursday is the 51st annual Earth Day. Sitka is celebrating by hosting an outdoor event with community groups, local speakers and a drum group performance. Organizers Darby Osborne and Lauren Bell joined KCAW’s Erin Fulton on the Morning Interview to talk about the event.

The 51st Earth Day celebration takes place on Thursday, April 22 at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp.  The community group tables and activities will open at 4:30.  The event will be from 5 to 6 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring a mask and practice social distancing.

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While the public didn’t hear most of the assembly’s feedback on Leach’s performance, when the group returned from executive session, Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz praised Leach’s work during a tumultuous time.

“Coming on at probably one of the most difficult times the city has seen and has really, really been a top notch administrator for us,” he said.

In the last few years, Brian Hanson has led the city’s legal department through multiple lawsuits, as well as the sale of Sitka Community Hospital in 2019. In 2020, the last of three suits involving former Sitka Police Department employees was settled out of court.  Mayor Eisenbeisz praised Hanson’s performance as well.

“We find his performance to be exemplary. And we wish that there was a ‘satisfactory with a gold star'” he said.

Each review took around an hour. Eisenbeisz said he would be reviewing a salary and benefits package with Municipal Attorney Hanson, which will be discussed at a future meeting.

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Ellen Chenoweth, Program Director for the UAS Rural Alaska Students in One-Heath Research (RASOR), joined KCAW’s Erin Fulton along with program students Carry Fenno and Lauryn Jones to talk about the program and upcoming student presentations. Listen here:

Seven students from Metlakatla, Craig, Petersburg, Sitka and Mt. Edgecumbe are finalizing the results their year-long ocean research projects.  The UAS Rural Alaska Students in One Health Research (RASOR) program is finishing up its second year of student research and everyone is invited to attend over zoom and can register for the event at on the RASOR website.  Presentations will take place on April 21st 1 pm – 2:30 pm.

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While cruise ships won’t be showing up to Sitka in droves this summer, the 2022 cruise ship season is expected to break records.

Sitka is expecting 400,000 cruise ship passengers in 2022. That exceeds the city’s 2008 record by more than 100,000 passengers, according to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce. City officials believe the steep uptick in tourism could put a strain on infrastructure, so last month the assembly directed the local Planning Commission to develop a “Tourism Master Plan.”

Last week (4-13-21) the Sitka Assembly met with the Planning Commission to flesh out what a “Tourism Master Plan” should look like. According to a memo from Planning Director Amy Ainslie, the city developed visitor industry plans in 2006 and 2007, before Halibut Point Marine built its private cruise ship terminal that serves most of the large cruise ships coming to Sitka. The company is expanding the dock to handle two 4000 passenger boats at a time.

Planning Commission Chair Chris Spivey said they wanted some assembly guidance on the scope of the plan.

“That’s kind of where we want to focus, is designing an actual plan that is focused, from what seems to be the biggest concern, which is the number of folks that will be possibly downtown or in our community as a whole,” he said. “Not on possibly anything other than handling the people.” 

Assembly member Rebecca Himschoot said that logistics were at the top of her list for the initial focus of the work.

“I want to know how do you make a left turn from Lake Street to Lincoln Street in the summer? How do you get across the bridge in the summer? Do people who are visiting Sitka who might have mobility issues have enough places to sit down?” she asked. “Bathrooms? Do we have enough restrooms?”

Planning Commission member Katie Riley said she wasn’t sure that the Planning Commission was the right group to tackle a “Tourism Master Plan” by itself. She said she was concerned with the larger ripple effects a big tourism year would have on things like housing, waste management, and Sitka’s overall capacity to absorb a huge influx of tourists. She said that the assembly should consider hiring a consultant to develop a more comprehensive plan. 

“I want to help. I want to engage with the planning commission to come up with this plan, and I think that there’s a lot of progress we can make in terms of dispersal, and congestion, you know, traffic flow, stuff like that,” she said. “But I really do think that the city needs to invest in bringing professionals to help us create a plan that’s going to work with our community not just for next year but for the next ten years and out into the future, because it’s only going to grow.” 

Himschoot said that while the city needed something in place soon for 2022, she agreed that a more comprehensive document was necessary to tackle some of the bigger questions around the future of tourism in Sitka.

“Our best dollar value visitor is the independent traveler. And they’re not coming here to have downtown overrun and infested, right? So the needle that you’re threading is how many independent travelers are here and how do we maintain quality for them as well as ourselves, and have this large number of people coming in?” asked Himschoot.

Commissioner Riley said she spoke with a consultant who estimated the cost of developing a comprehensive tourism plan at around $200,000. Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz said they would consider recommendations made by the commission, should they ask for a consultant’s help or other support. And while assembly members agreed that a larger comprehensive plan was needed, most wanted to see a more immediate plan focusing on 2022 completed by December. 

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An intensive search over the weekend of an area near Sitka’s ferry terminal turned up no new evidence in a missing person cold case.

Sitka police are revisiting the unsolved disappearance of a woman nine years ago, hoping new eyes and new investigative tools can make a difference.

Lael Grant’s car was found abandoned on the Nelson Logging Road outside of Sitka in 2012, shortly after Grant was reported missing.

Searchers spent about two weeks at the time, combing through the heavily-forested valley for any signs of the missing 33-year old.

In 2015, three years after her disappearance, the courts issued a ruling of presumptive death for Grant.

Officer Hal Henning is one of two members of the Sitka Police Department who’ve been tasked with reinvestigating Grant’s disappearance.

Henning arrived in Sitka last July. He says Sitka’s police chief Robert Baty wanted a fresh perspective on Grant’s disappearance.

“It’s been through many officers and detectives over the years, and just having fresh eyes sometimes helps see new things,” said Henning.

The Nelson Logging Road and shooting range in Sitka were closed to the public for two full days on April 17 and 18, while a total of 29 searchers and 7 cadaver dogs conducted a grid search in the vicinity of where Grant’s car was found nine years ago. The dogs and their handlers came from the Mat-Su in Alaska, Idaho, and Washington State. Henning says the dogs have remarkable abilities.

“Some of these teams have been successful in the past in locating remains of people from twenty years prior,” he said.

The dogs were volunteered by their respective search and rescue departments, including one dog with Sitka’ Search and Rescue. King County Search and Rescue in Seattle supplied logistical support and was incident command for the two-day search (Ed Christian, incident commander).

Henning says the news that investigators were taking another look at the Nelson Logging road generated a flurry of speculation on social media about a breakthrough in the Grant case. He cautions people against coming to any premature conclusions.

“We wanted to reiterate that there has been no new evidence, that’s not why we’re up here,” said Henning. “We’re basically retracing old footsteps to make sure that we do everything feasible to bring closure to the case.”

Henning says that there were no “aha” moments in the search. Many bones were found; none of them human.

The investigation, however, is ongoing. “We’re taking it from the ground up,” said Henning. Last August, an even older cold case — the 1996 homicide of Jessica Baggen — was solved using genetic genealogy methods unavailable in 2012. Henning didn’t rule out the possibility that some of those new tools could be used to solve the disappearance of Lael Grant.

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Sitka reported five new coronavirus cases over the last week.

Three men and two women tested positive between April 13 and April 18. Three of the patients are Sitka residents, and all five are isolating in Sitka.

One of the people who tested positive is in his forties, three are in their fifties, and one young man is between the ages of ten and 19. Three of the patients had no symptoms at the time of testing. Two of the cases are related to travel and one is classified as community spread, according to city data. Information about symptoms and transmission was not yet available for two of the cases as of Monday afternoon.

Sitka has reported 355 cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and seven of those cases are active. 

Sitka’s risk level remains at moderate, and local health officials are recommending face masks in public spaces, asking people to limit gatherings to under 100 people and hold them outdoors, and asking restaurants and bars to reduce indoor capacity.

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