Over 50 community members turned out to speak for, and against, the proposed rezone of Salmon Falls at Monday’s borough assembly meeting.
Emily Edenshaw is the CEO for the local tribe, KIC. She addressed the assembly about the need for a local addiction healing center before the public comment forum.
“Addiction continues to impact our families, our workplaces and our future, and too many people still lack access to the care they need,” Edenshaw said. “Growth alone does not define us, leadership does. And leadership is not measured by how we expand, but how we care for people.”
KIC’s request is to rezone five adjoining lots on the property from Future Development and Low Density Residential zones to the General Commercial zone.
This could allow for a range of retail, wholesale and service establishments.
An information packet from the borough states commercial use on some of the property was once permitted under a previous version of the zoning code where “food and beverage uses were not expressly defined or listed.” A 2023 update to the code prohibits most food and beverage uses in the Future Development zone. According to KIC’s rezone application, the request would allow continued commercial use of the property, which historically operated as a bar, restaurant and hotel.
The borough’s planning commission, which suggests zoning recommendations to the assembly, decided that rezoning wasn’t needed. The Commission said that KIC’s intended use for the property fit largely within its current zoning parameters. But borough officials indicate that much of the property’s commercial history supports the rezone for three of the five lots.
Many residents who spoke in favor of the rezoning request, and the holistic healing center, have ties to KIC. Some spoke about the need for a healing center rooted in culture. Others shared personal experiences with substance misuse.
Gianna Willard spoke to the assembly about her brother, who she said died of a drug overdose while waiting for a bed at a rehab facility.
“He reached out, he asked for treatment, he did everything we tell people in crisis they’re supposed to do – and that system failed him,” Willard said. “There was no facility close to home, there was no bed available. There was no place that understood who he was, where he came from, or what he had been carrying his entire life.”
Non-tribal members also spoke in favor, saying a rehabilitation facility is needed in Ketchikan so that locals struggling with substance misuse won’t have to seek treatment elsewhere.
Leif Stephens, who recently celebrated his first year of sobriety, said he’s had to travel thousands of miles for treatment.
“We get a bad wrap, and we may be lost, and we may be doing back things but we’re not bad people,” Stephens said. “And we’re just ready to heal. And having this close by, nearby, would be so great for this community.”
But not all who took to the podium spoke in support of the rezoning request. Similar to January’s planning commission meeting, residents who live in the nearby Waterfall Creek Subdivision are concerned that a change in zoning could alter its low-density, rural residential character. The neighborhood was established in the 1980s with this framework in mind.
Madison Rasmussen-Mulder is worried about how a zoning change for the former resort could impact infrastructure, public safety and the future of zoning changes.
“Is this the precedent the borough would like to set for the entire community? Anyone, anywhere can rezone their property, no matter the cost to those around them,” Rasmussen-Mulder said.
Some Waterfall Creek residents also spoke about the potential for property values to depreciate if the wellness center is brought to fruition. Another speaker who lives in the neighborhood believes KIC’s plan for the property is vague. Others are concerned that a once seasonal facility could now be a year-round service.
Mary Kowalczyk said she lives less than 1,000 feet from the former resort and is worried about how a zoning change could impact her quality of life.
“A zoning request to General Commercial will potentially allow a large range of retail, wholesale service establishments, and adverse effects on low density, residential areas,” Kowalczyk said.
After about 30 minutes of clarifications and suggested zoning alternatives, the assembly approved rezoning three of the five lots on the Salmon Falls property to the General Commercial zone. It was a 4-2 vote in the proposal’s first reading.
A second reading and public hearing are set for April 6. The rezone will take effect if approved at that meeting.
Hunter Morrison is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution.
