City of Soldotna

Council members will convene at the end of the month for a work session to discuss the ice arena’s future and long-term needs.

The city's Riverfront Redevelopment Plan describes a walkable main street parallel to the Kenai River. During debate, council members weighed the city’s economic and quality-of-life opportunities with the wishes of property owners.

The rezone would mark a major step forward for the so-called Soldotna Riverfront Redevelopment Project, which imagines a walkable commercial district between the river and the Sterling Highway.

Anyone can propose a new name for an eligible city asset. Preference is given to names that reflect local geography, indigenous heritage or community history and that consider the facility’s location and function.

Nearly two-thirds of Kenai Peninsula voters supported aligning the borough’s election day with the state and federal election days. Cities now need to decide whether to adopt the same change.

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.