Welcome 2020 Board of Directors!
Back Row- Kyle Mirka, Past President; Eric Visser, President; Brandon Marcott, Treasurer; Pete Nolan, Director; Karen Kassik-Michelsohn, Director; Chappie Cook, Director. Front Row- Jim Dunlap, Director; Daren Williams, Director; Christina Cope-Hendrickson, Director, Brandon Snodgrass, Director; Shawn Hays, Executive Officer. Not pictured: Jason Dial, Secretary; Moises Gutierrez, Director; Cody Lee, Vice President
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Thoughts from the Executive Officer
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UPZONING- Reforming zoning and building codes to allow for taller buildings and higher population densities
For most Americans, the most significant investment of their lives is buying a home. Housing, however, is not as affordable as it was and is out of reach for many working families.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s most recent Out of Reach report found that a full-time minimum wage worker in Alaska could not afford a two-bedroom apartment. The “housing wage”, the wage necessary to afford a two-bedroom apartment, is $24.84 an hour. And low-wage workers aren’t the only ones struggling to find and afford housing. In my home state of California, the housing wage for a two-bedroom apartment is $34.69! It is no secret nor surprising to anyone that we are experiencing a housing affordability crisis.
There are efforts across the US to engage in a residential zoning practice known as upzoning. Upzoning is changing single-family zoning codes to allow taller and denser housing, like duplexes, triplexes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and apartment buildings. Upzoning legislation has been introduced in several coastal states as well as in cities such as Minneapolis. In areas with high demand for new housing, single-family zoning is a clear restriction on supply, which drives the price of housing up and out of reach for many. Upzoning could be a solution for Anchorage’s housing unaffordability.
Minneapolis’s 2040 Plan
, which passed the city council in October 2019, allows duplexes and triplexes in all single-family neighborhoods.
Oregon’s House Bill 2001
, which passed last July, legalizes duplexes on all single-family zoned land in cities with populations above 10,000. In cities over 25,000, the bill legalizes triplexes, fourplexes and attached townhouses in single-family residential zones. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed
AB 68
last October, which allows one ADU and one junior ADU on lots zoned for single-family residential.
Because upzoning of single-family residential land is relatively new, time will tell how successful it will be. We don’t know yet how many units upzoning legislation will create since the housing market is unpredictable and varies across regions. Will upzoning result in more construction? Will it make housing more affordable? We will keep an eye on Oregon and Minneapolis and well, time will tell.
AHBA believes strongly that housing should be attainable for all of Anchorage’s residents. We believe that everyone should be able to afford a place to live and it is clear that we need solutions at the local level. We need solutions to make housing more affordable for Alaskans. Could upzoning be one of those solutions?
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Associates Council Meeting - 3/10 @ 12 pm
Builders Council Meeting -3/11 @ 12 pm
Membership Committee Meeting - 3/17 @ 12 pm
AHBA is seeking volunteers to serve on our membership committee! Meetings are held at AHBA on the third Tuesday of the month at noon. Lunch is provided. Please call us at 907.522.3605 if you are interested or just show up at the next meeting!
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Welcome to Our New Members!
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NAHB and AHBA hosted a Fall Prevention class at King Tech High School on February 20th. Many of our members and carpentry students learned important tools to keep them safe on the job. Students said they learned a lot and found the class valuable- perhaps due to the pizza party we had midway through the class!
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Alaska Builder Insurance Program
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It’s time to be exclusive with Alaska. If you’re an Alaska-based contractor and you aren’t using the Alaska Builders Insurance Program, you’re losing money. ABIP is an Alaska-owned general liability insurance program for licensed contractors. Expect your rates to drop by switching to ABIP.
With nationwide liability insurance, Alaskans pay the price because we have a much lower claim ratio. With ABIP, rates should drop as premiums grow and we continue to experience what our historic losses have been.
ABIP also creates a strong community. Purchasing ABIP benefits the Alaska State Home Building Association. The program also allows policyholders and members to participate and have access an exclusive contractual risk management program allowing additional premium discounts.
Only members of Alaska State Home Building Association are eligible and coverage of this program only covers Alaska companies. ABIP is underwritten an A-rated admitted (approved for business in Alaska) insurance carrier.
We look forward to helping you save money!
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2020 Alaska Economic Trends
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Successful businesses are all about saving money to help drive profits. It’s in their DNA. Whether it’s a discount on a product or service or a more efficient way to operate, the smart businessperson is always looking at ways to cut costs and maximize returns.
Through agreements with more than 20 national companies, NAHB offers exclusive discounts on a variety of products and services that can benefit your business, employees and family. Members save big when they take advantage of these offers, and use their member discount at
BuilderBooks: NAHB’s Official Bookstore
and
NAHB Contracts
.
Explore the range of member savings available by clicking here
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Join Us at Fiori D'Italia
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Join us on the 17th to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at Fiori D'Italia! This event was generously sponsored by the Odom Corporation and Fiori D'Italia to benefit the Carpentry and Construction Electricity programs at King Tech High School. One of our priorities at AHBA is to strengthen our partnership with KTHS by providing funding, mentoring and support to students. Anyone who brings a potential AHBA member will be entered in a drawing for an awesome prize! We hope to see you there!
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Have you purchased your booth yet? If not, call Nicole at 907-522-3605 to reserve your booth today!
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NCSHA Recommends Regulatory Reforms of Housing Programs to Trump Administration
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On January 31, NCSHA submitted comments to the White House Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing recommending specific steps the Departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, and Treasury can take to streamline and improve federal housing programs. These actions would lead to more affordable housing production with reductions in cost and administrative burden.
Read more here
.
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On February 20th,
the House Energy Committee heard and advanced HB232
, which establishes municipal tax credits for energy efficiency improvements.
In summary, the bill gives municipal governments the authority to give property tax breaks for residential and commercial building improvements that improve energy efficiency.
The Alaska State Home Building Association wrote a letter of support for the bill during our meetings in Juneau with legislators. We asked the Legislature to consider changes to the original version of the bill to clarify that the bill applied to energy efficient retrofit/remodels (and not just new construction). The original bill also limited the program to cities that suffer air quality -- mainly Fairbanks. ASHBA also asked if the bill could be expanded and made available to all communities.
The House Energy Committee adopted a new version that incorporates ASHBA's suggestions
.
Below is a link to the new version of the bill:
Thank you to Aaron Welterin for testifying, and thank you to Rep. Grier Hopkins for his successful efforts to amendment HB232.
HB232 now advances to the House Labor & Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Ivy Spohnholz (D-Anchorage).
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Senate to consider bipartisan Murkowski-Manchin energy package
By Anthony Adragna
02/27/2020 04:03 PM EST
Sens.
Lisa Murkowski and Joe Manchin today unveiled an energy bill that repackages numerous existing proposals on energy efficiency, carbon capture, storage and other issues in the latest attempt to pass sweeping legislation after more than a decade of inaction on Capitol Hill.
The bill largely avoids the question of how to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels that are driving climate change. But the sponsors — whose states are major producers of oil, natural gas and coal — say its focus on narrower consensus policies will spur the development of new technologies needed to bring down greenhouse gas emissions.
“What we have focused on is a recognition that the technology and the innovation that drives us in this country in the energy space can every day bring us to a better place when it comes to better emissions, smaller footprints and cleaner operations,” Murkowski (R-Alaska), the panel's chairman, told POLITICO.
Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell
on Thursday filed cloture to proceed to
S. 2657 (116)
, a legislative vehicle for the bill, setting up a floor debate expected to last all next week. Murkowski is skipping an Energy Committee markup because the panel has already separately advanced dozens of individual bills that went into the package.
Language in the measure boosts development of energy storage technologies (Sec. 1301); expedites approval of small exports of liquefied natural gas (Sec. 1802); creates new programs aimed to boosting carbon capture and sequestration technologies (Sec. 1401-1405); reauthorizes the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy through fiscal 2025 (Sec. 1808) and boosts nuclear energy programs (Sec. 1501-1511), among other provisions.
The bill quickly won support from business-friendly groups like Third Way and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, while environmental groups like the Sierra Club came out in opposition.
Amendments are expected to the measure although that process has yet to be finalized. Manchin (D-W.Va.), ranking member of the Energy Committee, told POLITICO leaders are continuing to work on which amendments to allow but expected at least two or three by each party.
“It’s been percolating for 12 years — it’s time to do something,” he said of energy policy.
Many of the bills included the Senate package have companions introduced in the House, but it remains to be seen if Democrats will take up those bills in light of their focus on legislation aimed at achieving "net zero" carbon emissions in an effort to address climate change. Senate Energy Committee aides said they’ve had some productive conversations with counterparts on the House Energy and Commerce and Science and Natural Resources committees about eventually combining measures, but believe they’re simply further along in the process.
If enacted, the energy bill would be the second major legislative package completed by Murkowski and Manchin — a sweeping public lands effort,
S. 47 (116)
, became law in March 2019.
It incorporates much of an energy efficiency package put forward by Sens.
Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), though language strengthening national model building codes was not included due to resistance from home builders, Portman said.
Portman said he expected the Senate would vote on an amendment reinserting the provision.
“It makes so much sense, logically, that I think we will prevail,” Portman said. “I like the bill overall and energy efficiency is a key part of that.”
Committee aides said they’re looking at models to estimate the potential emissions reductions from the entire package, if enacted, but don’t yet have those finalized.
Other outside groups hailed the legislation's introduction as a real opportunity to advance technologies critical to decarbonization.
"The Senate has an opportunity to pass the most significant climate and energy legislation in well over a decade," said Marty Durbin, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute. "Solutions to climate change will require new technology, and America has the opportunity to develop, demonstrate, and deploy the technologies that will stimulate progress around the globe."
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Diamond Heating Comfort Systems Inc.
Law Office of James H. McCollum
A+ Insulation
Action Environmental LLC
ALASKA HOUSING FINANCE CORP
Home Inspections Plus
Builders Millwork & Supply
Partusch Plumbing & Heating
Northern Sheetmetal Fabricators Inc.
Anchorage School District CTE
Alaska Stove & Spa
Pioneer Door, Inc.
Cummins Northwest
Brandy Pennington & Associates
General Communications Inc.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!
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17th Annual Alaska DBE & Contractors Conference
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“Foundations Forward”
Wednesday, March 4 – Thursday, March 5, 2020
Learn the road to being successful by attending this year’s conference. There will be several opportunities to learn, grow and know! This FREE conference is your opportunity for the right exposure to the right people and organizations. Come meet the experts and influencers in the local transportation and construction industry. Gather information, network, and market to potential clients.
CLICK HERE to register
!
CLICK HERE to view the agenda
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CLICK HERE to view letter invite
!
WHO SHOULD ATTEND: DBE Firms, Small Businesses, Large Prime and General Contractors, Construction Managers, Finance and Insurance Providers, Consultants and Small Business Advocates.
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AHBA Headquarters
8301 Schoon Street, Suite #200
Anchorage, AK, 99518
907-522-3605
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