City of Soldotna

Previously, chickens could only be kept on property larger than one-and-a-half acres. Now, the same amount of chickens can be kept on all residential property with compliant enclosures and setbacks.

Soldotna’s application says the city has enough local hotels to accommodate a minimum of 100 people, and that the city can provide transportation to anyone who isn’t within walking distance of the field house.

The contract is good for three years and is the product of negotiations between Soldotna city officials and the statewide Public Safety Employees Association.

The proposal would create a new multi-use zoning district for roughly 50 acres along the Kenai River. That’s the footprint of the so-called Soldotna Riverfront Redevelopment Project.

The market is Soldotna’s prime gathering place for residents in summer. But city officials have long had bigger dreams for that part of town, envisioning a walkable tourism district parallel to the river. But some council members voiced concerns about the limits of the new zone type.

City council members voted Wednesday to put the issue on the next municipal ballot.

Members considered a proposal that would have bumped their regular meeting time up by half an hour.

Sponsors say the new time would be consistent with the city’s other groups and make it easier for people to participate.

The votes came after a work session with city parks and recreation staff, who presented some of their nuts-and-bolts proposals for the 42,000-square-foot field house. For example – how much people will pay to get into the building.

The request comes almost two years after the city council defunded the center amid allegations of financial mismanagement.