Housing Archives

Restrictions on new short-term rental permits now in effect

by Katherine Rose | Sep 16, 2022 | Syndicated

Sitka is cracking down on short-term rentals run by non-resident owners. When the Sitka Assembly met on Tuesday (9-13-22), it adopted new rules for vacation rentals that require owners to reside on the same property for at least six months of the year. And all permits for short-term rentals will sunset when a property changes hands. Read More

Sitka (almost) tops state for short-term rentals, but long-term vacancies are high, too

by Robert Woolsey, KCAW | Sep 2, 2022 | Local News, Syndicated

As a proportion of overall housing, more of Sitka's stock is tied up in short-term rentals than anywhere in the state except the Kenai Peninsula Read More

A Sitka high rise apartment’s lone elevator has been out of service for more than a year, and tenants are frustrated

by Katherine Rose | Apr 22, 2022 | Local News, Syndicated

The elevator in Sitka’s only high-rise apartment building has been off intermittently – for over 15 months. The situation – although not necessarily illegal – is at best inconvenient, and at worst discriminatory for tenants who may struggle with seven flights of stairs. Read More

Sitka’s 2021: Not as good as we’d hoped, maybe not as bad as we think?

by KCAW News | Dec 30, 2021 | Local News, Syndicated

KCAW's Robert Woolsey and Katherine Rose look back on 2021, and conclude that the year was was "Not as good as we'd hoped, maybe not as bad as we think?" Here's their list of some of the top stories of the past twelve months. Read More

A refuge from high housing costs, Sitka’s land trust neighborhood is growing two cottages at a time

by KCAW News | Nov 19, 2021 | Local News, Syndicated

The homes were sold for about $260,000 -- far below the market value for a new home in Sitka. In a presentation to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday (11-17-21), land trust co-executive director Randy Hughey said that the organization’s formula for affordability included keeping the houses small, selling only the houses and not the land, and using grants to subsidize site preparation and utilities. Read More