30 square miles, zero notice

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources has proposed transferring roughly 30 square miles of state land near Houston to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, with final boundaries to be set after a survey. AIDEA's stated uses for the land include a logistics hub, natural gas and electricity infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and scalable data centers. A separate transfer involving the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation was also part of the proposal.

Houston residents and city officials say they learned about the plan from a public notice published July 10, with no advance call from the state. The scope of the land, nearly 30 square miles, and the inclusion of data centers has drawn attention from residents across the Mat-Su Valley, from Big Lake to Willow.

At its August 13 meeting, the Houston City Council voted unanimously to pass two resolutions opposing how the transfer process was handled. Councilmember Jeffrey Brasel said there was zero transparency and that preliminary decisions were made before the city had a decision to make. A separate ordinance that would have blocked data center construction inside city limits failed 4-2, with Councilmembers Callie Courtney and Lisa Johansen voting in favor. Brasel now plans to bring a moratorium resolution on data center construction.

Houston Mayor Carter Cole has said he opposes how the transfer was announced, not the transfer itself. State Rep. Kevin McCabe has pointed to the revenue potential of the project.

The public comment period on the proposal closed August 21. Alaska DNR spokesperson Lorraine Henry confirmed the city's resolutions will be reviewed, and a follow-up meeting is scheduled for September.