Homer’s Port and Harbor released a notice by email to local seine boat owners that revisions have been made to the Port of Homer Tariff No. 1 and that the moorage waiver for work skiffs for seine boats has been removed. “As of February 13, 2024 work skiffs will now be treated as an independent […]
Read MoreTag: City of Homer
Council terminates city manager contract
The City of Homer will be seeking a new city manager. A March 15 press release announced that during a special city council session last Thursday, March 14, “the City of Homer, by and through the office of the Mayor, elected to exercise its contractual prerogative to conclude the employment of City Manager Rob Dumouchel.” […]
Read MoreHomer receives EPA award for seawall project
The City of Homer has been selected to receive an award for Excellence in Climate Change Mitigation and Resiliency from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund AQUARIUS Recognition Program. The award has been granted for the city’s recent work to reinforce the Homer seawall. The seawall was originally constructed in 2003 to […]
Read MoreComp plan project managers launch website, plan 1st public outreach event
Homer community members can expect to begin engaging with the comprehensive plan revisions very soon. At their last regular meeting on March 4, the comprehensive plan steering committee discussed with Agnew::Beck project consultants Shelly Wade and Meg Friedenauer plans for the upcoming inaugural public outreach event and the Homer Comprehensive Plan Update website, which recently […]
Read MoreCouncil votes down short-term rentals ordinance
The first instance of short-term rental regulation in the City of Homer is dead in the water as of Monday. The Homer City Council unanimously voted down Ordinance 23-61(S) at their regular meeting on Feb. 26. The ordinance would have amended Homer City Code Title 8 to add Chapter 8.05 Short Term Rentals, which would […]
Read MorePlanning commission denies Doyon conditional use permit
In a special meeting held Wednesday, Jan. 31, the Homer Planning Commission passed a majority 6-1 vote against approving Doyon, Limited’s application for a conditional use permit to develop the former Lighthouse Village site. After deliberating for over three hours in a closed session, the commission returned to the Homer City Hall Cowles Council Chambers […]
Read MoreComp plan steering committee holds 1st meeting
Homer’s new Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee met for the first time on Monday, Feb. 5 to discuss their scope of work. Also present at the meeting were representatives from Agnew::Beck Consulting, the Anchorage firm contracted to update Homer’s comprehensive plan and Title 21 Zoning and Planning Code. Members of the steering committee include Homer City […]
Read MoreCity to install mobile restrooms at 2 parks
Jack Gist Park and Karen Hornaday Park will finally be receiving new public restroom facilities. The city’s current goal is to have them ready for use by midsummer. Jack Gist has never had a brick-and-mortar bathroom installed, an issue for which the city has been examining solutions for at least the last three years, City […]
Read MoreCity briefed on Spit conditions amid ongoing harbor expansion
The Homer City Council on Monday received an extensive updated overview report from Ronny McPherson and KC Kent of HDR on the baseline marine and physical conditions of the Spit and existing harbor status of the ongoing Homer Harbor expansion project. The study was conducted as work in kind for the U.S. Army Corps of […]
Read MoreChamber hosts short-term rentals discussion
The Homer Chamber of Commerce held a panel discussion last Wednesday, Jan. 17 at Kachemak Bay Campus to facilitate a discussion in the face of the Homer City Council’s upcoming consideration of an ordinance regulating short-term rentals. Ordinance 23-61, introduced on Nov. 13, will amend city code Title 5 to add Chapter 5.48 Short Term […]
Read MorePlanning commission votes down Lighthouse Village preliminary replat
Homer’s Planning Commission decided at their Jan. 17 regular meeting to not recommend approval of the Bayview Subdivision Lighthouse Village replat preliminary plat to the borough’s planning commission. This decision is in line with the majority vote at their Jan. 3 special meeting to not recommend approval for the B Street right of way vacation. […]
Read MoreCity posts schedule for public feedback on short-term rental regs
Following the Homer City Council’s introduction of Ordinance 23-61 at their Nov. 13 meeting, which would amend city code to include regulations for short-term rentals, the City of Homer has posted a draft meeting timeline for 2024 on their website. These meetings present opportunities for the public to weigh in on the proposed regulations and […]
Read MoreLighthouse Village development public hearing to continue next week
Discussion on the potential construction of a hotel complex on Homer Spit Road will continue at a special Planning Commission meeting next week, after a Dec. 6 planning meeting addressing the topic reached its legal time limit with only about half of public testimonies heard. The Jan. 3 special meeting will discuss all matters on […]
Read MorePublic Works director to retire in January
Homer Public Works Director Jan Keiser is retiring from her position with the city in January. Keiser grew up in Alaska in several communities across the state, including Fairbanks, Kodiak and Kenai. She attended college for civil engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and then took a job with the U.S. Public Health service […]
Read MoreCouncil resolves to create comprehensive plan steering committee
After awarding a contract to Agnew Beck consulting firm for the development of a new comprehensive plan at the Oct. 23 regular meeting, Homer City Council continues progress on that front. At their last regular meeting on Nov. 27, the council passed an amended Resolution 23-129, supporting the creation of a steering committee to aid […]
Read MoreCouncil looks toward sister city 40th anniversary
Homer City Council passed Resolution 23-128 at their last regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 27, supporting the creation of a sister city donation account to help contribute to an anniversary celebration of Homer’s relationship with Teshio, Japan. The City of Homer established a sistership affiliation with Teshio, which is located in the Rumoi subprefecture in […]
Read MoreCouncil to consider short-term rentals ordinance
Homer currently has no existing regulations for short-term rentals; that may be changing in the near future. The Homer City Council introduced at their last regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 13, Ordinance 23-61, which if adopted will amend city code Title 5 to add Chapter 5.48 Short Term Rentals. The ordinance has been referred to […]
Read MoreCity council to hold public hearings at next meeting
Attention Homer: Keep an eye on the upcoming city council meeting agenda for a number of opportunities for public comment. At their last regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 13, the Homer City Council introduced several ordinances that will each be subject to a public hearing at the council’s next meeting on Nov. 27. Ordinance 23-55 […]
Read MoreCity council seeks state funding for harbor expansion plans
The City of Homer is looking to the state to provide funds to move the port and harbor expansion ahead. The Homer News reported earlier this year that federal funding had fallen through for a study assessing whether it was technically feasible and financially viable to expand the harbor, delaying the project. The harbor expansion […]
Read MoreCouncil awards contracts for Kachemak Sponge project
Progress continues to be made by the City of Homer with regard to the Kachemak Sponge Green Infrastructure Stormwater Management Project. Homer City Council passed two resolutions at their last regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 23 that will further the project’s course. Resolution 23-113 approves a task order to Coble Geophysical Services, LLC to design […]
Read MoreCity council seeks recreation center alternatives
The Homer City Council passed two resolutions at their last regular meeting in an effort to cut alternate paths for resolving the issue of the Homer Education and Recreation Center once and for all. Resolution 23-115 authorizes the city manager to apply for a multipurpose Brownfield grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for the purpose […]
Read MoreCity tries again with comprehensive plan
After more than a year of groundwork and debate by the City of Homer, the city council took a concrete step toward the development of a new comprehensive plan and update of the city’s Title 21 zoning and planning code by passing Resolution 23-119 during their last regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 23. The resolution […]
Read MoreHomer election results certified
The official results from the Oct. 3 City of Homer regular election are in. Candidates running for a three-year term on the Homer City Council were incumbents Rachel Lord and Caroline Venuti, and new contesters Joni Wise and Daniel Hasche. According to the official results, certified by the City of Homer Election Canvass Board on […]
Read MoreCity hosts final public meeting on draft transportation plan
The final public meeting discussing the city’s draft transporation plan took place last month. Employees from the City of Homer on Sept. 26 provided updates to the draft plan at a public open house at the Kenai Peninsula College. The transportation plan incorporates road systems as well as the availability and maintenance of trails and […]
Read MoreCity council adopts 2024-2029 capital improvement plan
The Homer City Council adopted the newest six-year capital improvement plan during their last regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 11. The plan also establishes capital project legislative priorities for fiscal year 2025. According to the city manager’s office webpage on the City of Homer official website, the plan is updated annually “to ensure the long-range […]
Read MoreHarbor expansion project paused due federal funding uncertainty
Federal funding to support the next steps of the Homer harbor expansion project has fallen through, raising questions about the viability of the project. At a Sept. 11 work session, Homer City Council received an update from the Army Corps of Engineers representative for the Homer harbor expansion quarterly report. Though the report reviewed events […]
Read MoreHomer City Council hopefuls tackle housing, transportation, harbor
Candidates for Homer City Council gathered Monday in the Homer Public Library to talk about their bid for public office and issues facing city voters as part of a candidate forum hosted by the Peninsula Clarion, KDLL 91.9 FM and KBBI 890 AM public radio. The forum, hosted in partnership with the Central Peninsula League […]
Read MoreUpdated transportation plan open for public comment
The City of Homer released the new draft transportation plan at the end of August and it is now available for public review. The new plan contains particular focuses on nonmotorized transportation options within the city. The last transportation plan for the city was released more than 20 years ago and it was time for […]
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