Private builders and property owners are developing needed housing in Anchorage after the Assembly cut taxes on qualifying housing and loosened land-use rules that developers said made projects uneconomic. Officials describe a citywide shortage across housing types. The response has been targeted tax exemptions and Title 21 revisions meant to let private capital move.
Debenham LLC is adding 58 market-rate rental townhomes in Southwest Anchorage near Raspberry Road and Northwood Street, with completion expected in fall 2027. Owner Shaun Debenham said the firm already knew the site from an adjacent apartment community. The two biggest obstacles were project economics and Title 21. Feasibility improved after the Assembly adopted a property-tax abatement for new housing and removed regulatory obstacles in the land-use code. “Adding new housing inventory gives Anchorage residents more choices and helps address the broader shortage of available housing in the city,” he said. He still wants faster, more predictable permitting, arguing delay itself is a cost.
“There is still significant opportunity to make housing development easier and more predictable in Anchorage,” stated Debenham. “Additional modernization of the land use code would help eliminate unnecessary barriers and provide developers with greater certainty. The permitting and review process could also be simplified and accelerated. Time and uncertainty add substantial costs to housing projects, so a clearer, faster, and more predictable process would make it easier for the private sector to deliver more housing.”…