The Haines Borough Planning Commission voted 6-1 to write a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers opposing a permit that would allow Roger Schnabel to fill his Front Street waterfront tideland lots in order to build a boat storage facility.

Schnabel applied for and was approved for a site-development permit on the same lots last summer. The stated intent was to fill and grade the lot for a parking area. Site-development permits do not need to be approved by the planning commission, and are instead approved by borough staff.

Greg Schlacter, who’s working as a project manager for the Front Street work, applied for an Army Corps of Engineers permit to fill in the tidelands on the same lots as the site-development permit. In that project description, the stated purpose is to place more than 14,500 cubic yards of material on tidelands that would “expand the current pad for marine vessel storage and maintenance.”

The lots in question are in the borough’s waterfront zone, in which commercial and light industrial uses require a conditional use permit be approved by the planning commission.

“The site development permit (that) the applicant has is not for the project on this application,” the commission’s letter states. “The proposed development changes the character of the area substantially in ways that do not align with the existing residential and significant historical uses of the neighborhood.”

Army Corps regulatory specialist Ben Polley told the CVN that Corp permits don’t supersede local regulations. “If the Corps issued a permit and a borough did not, (an applicant) is still required to get all necessary permits. There’s not a specific order that they’d necessarily need (to apply for a permit.)”

At last week’s planning commission meeting, commissioner Rob Goldberg said he was concerned that Schnabel circumvented the commission.

“(Developers) say ‘I want to do site development,’ and then the land is already filled in. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission,” Goldberg said. “I’m sure it’s heartbreaking to the residents there. I’m feeling it, too. I think it’s wrong.”

Commission chair Diana Lapham said while she thinks light industrial development is needed in Haines, she thought the application for a site-development permit was disingenuous.

“They were not clear. They were not forthcoming with their site development idea,” Lapham said. “I’m really disappointed. I do believe in industrial, but not this way.”

Neighboring residents said they were upset that their residential neighborhood, and the site of the former Chilkoot village, will be adversely affected.

“Our family is against it,” said Jackie Martin, who lives across the road from the proposed site. “We have a beautiful view of the water. Why do I want to look at boat trailers and boats?”

Liz and Mike Falvey live next door to the lots where a new Canal Marine facility is being constructed along with the planned boat storage area. Marantz-Falvey said she was upset that neighbors weren’t warned about the site-development permit the borough approved in August 2019 in order to fill the area in preparation for a parking lot.

“There has been no light-industrial building/activity on all waterfront zoned lots to the north of (those) lots,” Falvey wrote in a letter to the commission. “Do we need more light-industrial or do we want to save some remaining waterfront to enhance the aesthetics of the area?”

Schnabel did not respond for comment by press time.

Commissioner Don Turner said he wouldn’t vote to oppose the project because he didn’t think it would be a detriment to neighboring residents.

“I don’t see trying to hold up progress and stuff,” Turner said.

Turner opposed drafting a letter to the Army Corps objecting to the project.