The Homer City Council will hold a public hearing on Jan. 27 on Doyon, Limited’s application to rezone a portion of their planned Lighthouse Village redevelopment from rural residential to General Commercial 1.

Ordinance 25-01, which if passed will amend the Homer City Zoning Map to rezone the 1.35-acre lot at 1491 Bay Avenue to GC1, was introduced at the council’s last regular meeting on Jan. 13.

Doyon’s rezone request was previously heard by Homer’s Planning Commission during extended public hearings in December 2023 and January 2024. The commission passed a motion to recommend approval of the rezoning request by a vote of 4-3.

The planning commission on Nov. 6 also approved Doyon’s application for a conditional use permit for their planned unit development at Lighthouse Village.

Discussion among the council members at the Jan. 13 meeting noted that Doyon’s application for their planned unit development at Lighthouse Village has “changed significantly” since information was last provided to the city council in their packets. The council requested an update on Doyon’s current plan in order to make a more informed decision following the public hearing.

Council member Shelly Erickson said that she was also interested in learning more about public opinion on Doyon’s revised application.

“When I saw how much feedback had come in, it makes me think we need to understand what the real sentiment of the town is,” she said. “That is kind of a crucial piece, because (of) the environmental place that it’s at (and) the area of the intersection with the Spit is a big deal … I would feel comfortable being able to look at that.”

Homer City Planner Ryan Foster reminded the council that Doyon owns three lots at the former Lighthouse Village site — two of which are already zoned GC1. During the previous planning commission hearings before Doyon’s conditional use permit application was approved by the commission, it was also noted that 1491 Bay Avenue must be rezoned in order for construction of the PUD to move forward.

Find the full discussion on Ordinance 25-01 in the meeting recording online at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/citycouncil/city-council-regular-meeting-317.