Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

Ending use of yurts as permanent residences in the townsite is once again a topic of discussion at the Haines Borough.

At a June 10 meeting, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended the assembly consider an ordinance classifying yurts, along with RVs and wall tents, as “temporary use dwellings,” limiting habitation of these structures to 18 months.

“(The ordinance would) disallow these fabric buildings and recreational vehicles from being considered primary residences on the property,” commissioner Rob Goldberg said at the meeting.

Commissioners cited property value concerns as the main motivation for the ordinance.

“If you bought a $300,000 to $400,000 home and the person next door has a couple of wall tents in their yard, all of a sudden you feel like your property value is going downhill,” commissioner Lee Heinmiller said.

The threat of bear break-ins is another concern when it comes to canvass-wall structures, interim manager Alekka Fullerton said in an interview after the meeting.

“It’s one thing to accept the risk on a temporary basis, but in our climate, it’s not terribly secure for everyday living,” she said.

The last time banning yurts as primary residences was seriously considered, in 2013, the Planning Commission at the time forwarded the ordinance to the assembly, which rejected the idea 5-1.

At the June 10 meeting, Commissioner Zack Ferrin pushed back against the ordinance, although he ultimately voted to support it.

“People come to Alaska, that’s the joy of this place, you’re not stifled by rules and regulations all the time. It’s the last frontier for crying out loud. If someone’s going to want to live in a yurt, I think it’s kind of up to them,” Ferrin said, adding that his neighbors have a well-maintained yurt within townsite boundaries and he doesn’t think it negatively impacts property values.

Other commissioners said they understood Ferrin’s point but think it’s important to be consistent in code.

“Our code is inconsistent in that we don’t allow mobile homes or RVs outside of a mobile home park or an RV park, so we have some restrictions in that way, and some of the mobile homes are pretty nice inside,” said Goldberg, who chaired the Planning Commission the last time the ordinance was under consideration. “Most places have a building code and you have to conform, and we don’t have that and so it really makes a buyer-beware situation because you never know what you’re getting because nothing’s up to code.”

Existing primary residence yurts in the townsite would likely be grandfathered in if the ordinance passes, according to Fullerton. The ordinance would still allow construction of yurts for guest houses, storage facilities and other accessory purposes.