In the past year, a team of planners visited Unalaska to hear from the community about local land use. Since then, the planning department has been working to put together a land use plan. Anthony Grande is the city’s Planning Administrator. He said the new document outlines a long-term vision for Unalaska.

“The plan talks about what the land uses are right now as we speak today and makes recommendations about what the land use should be in the future," said Grande.

Grande said an effective land use plan can reduce potential conflicts.

“That would be having land uses adjacent to each other than aren’t compatible," he explained. "Or having an entire neighborhood that has some land uses that make sense for the people there but really have some things in the neighborhood that are just unusual and don’t fit with what people actually want.”

 The new land use plan is still in draft form.  Grande said recommendations in a finalized version will help drive policy and zoning decisions.

“This is not a regulation it’s just a plan," he said, "but this is the plan that will guide actual regulations in the future.”

Grande said he expects a second draft to go to the Planning Commission for review next month. A finalized draft then goes before the city council, where the public will have an opportunity to comment during two public hearings. 

The public is invited to comment on the current draft online or in writing at various public locations in town.