The Homer City Council passed a resolution at their last meeting on Sept. 8 approving an acquisition of real property for green infrastructure conservation. The land will be purchased using grant funds awarded in 2023 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and marks the first land purchase to be funded by the grant.

In August 2023, the council approved Ordinance 23-46, accepting nearly $1.2 million in grant funding for the city’s ongoing Kachemak Sponge Green Infrastructure Stormwater Treatment System. The grant was awarded by NOAA to the University of Alaska Anchorage, which acts as the fiscal agent for the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, for the purpose of acquiring wetlands and peatlands “to be preserved for conservation in perpetuity” as part of the Kachemak Sponge project. The City of Homer is listed as the grant sub-recipient. Per Ordinance 23-46, KBNERR has been working with the city to identify wetlands and peatlands that could be used for the project as a wetland treatment system. A resolution passed in February 2024, Resolution 24-124(S), also authorized the city manager to pursue the purchase of lands “for the purpose of Green Infrastructure conservation.”

The land authorized to be purchased in Resolution 25-078 includes approximately 26.5 acres of a privately owned lot near East End Road. The full lot consists of nearly 39 acres, which is undergoing a replat, according to an Aug. 28 memorandum to the council from Community Development Director Julie Engebretsen. Approximately 11.9 acres on the northern portion of the lot will be retained by the current owner. The city is purchasing the “remaining vacant acreage” for the appraised value of $246,000.

While Resolution 25-078 authorizes the city manager to now negotiate and execute the appropriate documents for the acquisition, the transaction is expected to be completed early next year. According to the memo, the subdivision process for the 39-acre parcel is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with recording of the transaction slated for January 2026. Because the property acquisition is funded by the NOAA grant, a deed restriction against future development is also required.

“This transaction has taken many steps to get to the point of Council approval and has more steps with NOAA prior to the release of federal funds,” Engebretsen wrote in the memo. “The goal over the next few months is to complete the platting process, NOAA’s 90 day review period, and complete the transaction in early 2026.”

Find Resolution 25-078 and supplemental materials in full at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/citycouncil/city-council-regular-meeting-344.