The Homer Comprehensive Plan public review draft will be released at the end of January, coinciding with the start of the second phase of the comp plan update process, rewriting Homer City Code Title 21: Zoning and Planning, according to updates provided to the Homer City Council last month.

At the last regular council meeting on Nov. 25, Agnew::Beck consultant project manager Shelly Wade gave a presentation on the Title 21 rewrite process and current comp plan rewrite timeline. Agnew::Beck is currently drafting the new comp plan, scheduled for release to the public for review in January. A community open house to celebrate the launch of the comp plan public review draft is scheduled for early February.

Agnew::Beck is contracted through December 2025 to conduct the Title 21 code rewrite. The work that has been conducted to date on the comp plan, as well as input from the council and from the Homer Planning Commission, which frequently uses the zoning and planning code as a basis for their decisions, will inform the Title 21 rewrite and help ensure that the code can in turn implement the goals and objectives of the comp plan.

Agnew::Beck will also be partnering with Stantec, a professional services company in the design and consulting industry that has previously done work for the City of Homer, including designs for a proposed new multipurpose community recreation center to replace the defunct HERC.

“This is about modernizing and simplifying the code. This is about creating the right framework and interface and format of the code,” Wade told the council. “It’s also about aligning and implementing the vision of the comp plan. So what we’re learning from that process will help to shape and be the framework for the code revision.”

Wade also noted that part of the rewrite process includes facilitating clear communication with the Homer community and “making the pieces understandable” so stakeholders can respond and provide thoughtful feedback.

“And then, of course, it’s about aligning the zoning and planning code with other plans that you have as a community and as a city,” she said.

The scope of work for this second phase includes multiple objectives such as modernizing Title 21 by “bringing the standards up to date by applying measures that reflect contemporary best practices, land use trends and market demands, while improving efficiency and user friendliness into the code;” identifying the best code format and creating a new code that “enables development to take place as a mixture of uses;” and aligning with and implementing the vision of the comprehensive plan. Additionally, the project team intends to continue conducting public and key stakeholder outreach throughout the process.

Another key objective for the code rewrite process, according to Wade, is to align the updated Title 21 “to support implementation of related City plans” including Homer’s Transportation Master Plan, Stormwater Plan and Water/Sewer Plan.

At the end of the process, the updated Title 21 code will be presented to the Planning Commission and city council for public hearings and approval.

The Stantec team, Wade said, is looking at the code rewrite process “essentially as an audit of Title 21” and will be looking for “misalignments.”

She noted that other parts of Homer City Code, aside from Title 21, have also been identified as “challenges.”

“Although we will not be updating other portions of the (city) code through this process or making those recommendations, we will definitely document those,” she said. “As we tag different sections of the code that are problematic, those will not be lost. We’ll be sure to document those.”

According to Wade, Valdez experienced something similar during their zoning code update and is now in the process of updating their subdivision code to align with the revised zoning code.

She also spoke on the public participation process for the code rewrite.

“What we have talked about as a potential launch for the process is a joint work session with the Planning Commission and the city council, to have both bodies at the table to hear and listen and reflect on what we’ve learned through the audit process,” she said.

The public participation process for the code rewrite appears to follow a similar path as the process for the comp plan rewrite — including stakeholder and community engagement and outreach, conducting interviews and surveys, holding meetings with the Planning Commission and other boards and commissions as needed, and presenting the rewritten code to the Planning Commission and the city council for final review and approval.

Wade noted that comparable versions of Title 21 would be made available to the public, citing the Valdez code rewrite project as a successful example.

“You can see an example of this in the Valdez materials … we presented this information graphically and visually for the community (with) a lot of graphics to help folks understand how the code could potentially impact them, their neighborhood, the community, as a developer, whatever your lens is,” she said.

Further information about the Valdez Zoning Code Revision is available at zoningvaldez.com/.

Find Wade’s presentation in full in the Nov. 25 meeting recording online at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/citycouncil/city-council-regular-meeting-325.