The Anchorage Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a conditional use permit for an explosives storage facility and heliport near Girdwood, clearing the way for improved avalanche control operations along the Seward Highway corridor.

The facility will occupy 1.2 acres of a 44-acre parcel near Virgin Creek. It will include five portable magazines for explosive storage, a heliport, and a controlled-access road connecting to the Seward Highway. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Alaska Railroad Corporation will use the site to store materials for avalanche mitigation work in the Chugach Mountains.

Taryn Olson, a planner with R&M Consultants representing the state, told commissioners the site was chosen for its separation from residential areas and direct access to transportation corridors.

"This proposed location was selected for a couple of key reasons. The first one being that it is substantially separated from developed land uses. We are separated from existing neighborhoods. There is not any planned development adjacent to this location," Olson said.

The facility will include earthen berms surrounding each portable magazine to provide additional protection. Each magazine meets federal requirements for construction, ventilation, fire resistance, theft deterrent features, and locking mechanisms. A fence will provide an additional layer of security around the 1.2-acre development area.

"Of the 44-acre parcel, only 1.2 of them are proposed to be developed for this facility. Access is directly from the Seward Highway, but it is going to use the railroad right-of-way, and it is going to be controlled access. So there will be a locked gate that will only allow authorized DOT and railroad personnel to come and go," Olson said.

The heliport location allows avalanche control operations without flying directly over Girdwood neighborhoods, Olson explained.

"With the heliport at this location, we are able to conduct helicopter operations without flying directly over residential neighborhoods. Which is a great bonus, and we are able to mitigate that, what otherwise would be a potential negative impact of the development," Olson said.

The centralized storage facility will reduce the frequency of transporting hazardous materials through populated areas.

"Having a federally compliant facility in the centralized location, again, very separated from existing developed land, it is going to reduce the need and the frequency for the movement of hazardous material on public roadways. So the fact that they are able to get directly onto the Seward Highway or onto the railroad and not have to navigate through the Girdwood Valley, for example, is a big benefit," Olson said.