Homer Alaska - Opinion

Citizens have one last chance to weigh in on the Homer Comprehensive Plan when the Homer City Council considers whether to approve it Monday night. Some citizens say they feel like the city didn't properly solicit comments and ideas on the comp plan or tell neighborhoods of changes that could affect them.

Trying to get citizens involved in government is a challenge elected officials — and the media — constantly face.

Maybe the process didn't work well for the Homer Comprehensive Plan. Here's a chance to do it right for the next big planning document on the agenda, the Homer Spit Comprehensive Plan. Citizens have many more chances to come to speak on that plan. The larger comp plan doesn't include this special and unique area.

Some call the Spit the Coney Island of Alaska. Many locals stay off the Spit from Memorial Day to Labor Day. They say it's too crowded, too tacky and you can't find a parking spot. For others, though, the Spit is where they work, where they spend summers and weekends and where they play.

Whatever your feelings about the Spit, it's hard to deny it is a defining characteristic of Homer.

Don't like how the Spit has developed? Want to see it improved? Now's your chance.

USKH, the Anchorage firm working with the city to write the Homer Spit Comprehensive Plan, last month released its first draft. Sometime in May a public meeting and open house will be held to look over a final draft — or, at least, a final draft before it goes to the Homer Advisory Planning Commission. The first public workshop on the Homer Comprehensive Plan was held in October 2007, so you can see how long the process takes before a Spit comp plan is likely to go before the city council.

The Spit comp plan has a lot of good ideas, particularly in managing parking, including providing free, four-hour parking in lots close to shopping and commercial businesses; providing permit parking for boat owners with rented slips and employees in designated areas; providing permit parking for long-term parking; providing loading zones for businesses; clearly identifying parking areas; creating clear parking lot entrances; and managing parking better. Those suggestions alone could go a long way in making for a better Spit experience for residents and visitors alike.

There's no doubt some parts of the plan will be controversial, like suggestions for more hotel, resort and residential development. It's a rough draft, though, and that's the perfect time to make the plan better. The city wants everyone to share ideas, not just Spit users.

Sure, the city can be more proactive in involving citizens. The Homer News will do its part by covering the Spit comp plan as it evolves, and by listing meetings and workshops. But, ultimately, every citizen bears the personal responsibility of becoming informed and involved.

As planning commission chairperson Sharon Minsch says: Don't wait until the 11th hour to get involved. Now's the time.