Four years after the Haines Borough Assembly agreed to keep the Haines primary school building to see how land there would fit into a downtown plan, the borough’s planning commission is being asked whether the property should be sold.
The borough demolished the building on the property in October 2010.
The planning commission will hold a hearing on the issue 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19 at the assembly chambers.
“It’s an important community issue. We’re hoping people will come,” said commission chair Rob Goldberg. “There are varying ideas for it. Some people want it to be sold and put in private hands. Others want it to be saved for private use.”
A $40,000 downtown plan completed in 2010 endorsed the idea of private development for the primary building site, with parking at front and rear, in a vegetated, mall-like setting.
The plan envisioned development of adjacent eastern property, the site of the former elementary school, as a community center, amphitheater and public commons area. Alaska Mountain Guides in 2008 sought to buy the primary building as an outdoors school.
A draft of the borough’s revised comprehensive plan is due out for public review April 26. Public meetings to discuss the draft plan are scheduled for May 16 in town and May 17 at Mosquito Lake School.