The Municipality of Anchorage is partnering with a private foundation to fund a new position that’ll be in charge of overseeing housing issues.
At a press conference held at city hall Thursday (March 30), Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz announced the new Chief Housing Officer position will be funded through a two year, $400 thousand grant from the Rasmuson Foundation. There is no cost to the city budget.
The position will be filled by Robin Ward, the current director of the city’s Real Estate Department.
In a release from the administration, the Housing Officer is described as a liaison between the municipality and the development community, with the aim of boosting residential housing stock through initiatives, incentives, and new strategies.
Developers and contractors have long been critical of the municipality’s building requirements, pointing to the Title 21 Code as a major impediment to new construction in the city’s relatively tight housing market. A 2012 report by the McDowell Group says Anchorage needs about 900 new housing units a year to keep up with demand. Currently, the city issues between 300 and 400 permits a year, according to administration spokesman Myer Hutchinson.
Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska.
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