Once a grandly nebulous concept, the 2035 update of Homer’s Comprehensive Plan is taking solid shape.
Agnew::Beck, the Anchorage-based consulting firm employed by the City of Homer to conduct the comp plan update, as well as the Title 21 Zoning and Planning Code rewrite, released the draft plan earlier this month. Homer area residents are encouraged to review the plan and submit comments and feedback on the project website, located at homercompplanupdate.com/. Hard copies of the comp plan are also available at Homer City Hall and at the Homer Public Library.
The deadline to submit comments is March 14.
Project team members will continue conversations during the public comment period with community members, businesses and organizations to hear feedback on the draft plan. After the comment period closes on March 14, the team will compile all feedback received to share with the Homer Planning Commission. The commission will review the comments and make recommendations for the final draft of the plan.
The final comp plan draft is slated to go before the Homer City Council and other city commissions and committees for review, as part of the adoption process, this spring or summer. Specific dates remain forthcoming. There will also be additional opportunities for community input during this review period, according to the project website.
The project team, including representatives from both the City of Homer and Agnew::Beck, held an open house on Feb. 11 for community members to view and respond to the draft plan in person. Several stations were set up inside the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, each focusing on key themes pulled directly from the comp plan — including land use and environment; sustainability, resilience and climate change; public facilities and services; housing; transportation; economic development; quality of life; and governance.
Community members may provide feedback on the draft plan in a few different ways, including submitting comments in the online comment box under “Contact Us” on the project website; downloading the fillable comment form also available on the website and submitting it by mail, email or in person to City Hall; or calling or emailing the project team leaders. Homer City Planner Ryan Foster can be reached at 907-299-8529 or rfoster@ci.homer.ak.us. Agnew::Beck consultant project manager Shelly Wade can be reached at 907-242-5326 or shelly@agnewbeck.com
Follow the project website, homercompplanupdate.com/, for updates and further information. A complete timeline of the comp plan update so far with current resources is also available on the website.
City of Homer Community Development Director Julie Engebretsen (right) explains the economic development aspects of the draft 2035 comprehensive plan during an open house event on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Agnew::Beck project consultant manager Shelly Wade explains the public comment process and timeline for the draft 2035 comprehensive plan during an open house event on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
