> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://ktna.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Mat-Su Assembly calls for industrial projects at Point MacKenzie, West Susitna; opposes AIDEA transfer - URL: https://ktna.org/mat-su-assembly-calls-for-industrial-projects-at-point-mackenzie-west-susitna-opposes-aidea-transfer/ - Published: 2026-09-17T00:53:37.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-17T00:53:37.000Z - Description: The proposed state plan would gift AIDEA nearly 20,000 acres of state recreation land near Houston. - Author: Mat-Su Sentinel - Tags: Local News, News, External News PALMER — The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly this week formally opposed a state plan to transfer nearly 20,000 acres of recreation land near Houston to Alaska’s development agency and called for potential development projects to instead be located at Point MacKenzie or in the West Susitna area. The Assembly unanimously approved [the resolution](https://matanuska.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=cbc4535b-7897-407b-9c7e-b0e9ea587a23.pdf&ref=matsusentinel.com) during a regular meeting Tuesday. The state Department of Natural Resources [proposed the transfer last month](https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=162893&ref=matsusentinel.com). It would give 30 square miles of land abutting Houston, Willow and Meadow Lakes to the state-run Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority for projects that could include a “multi-use industrial and energy development district,” such as a logistics hub, “advanced manufacturing pads” and “scalable data centers,” according to the proposal. The resolution says the borough supports development, but not on the state land included in DNR’s proposed transfer. It calls for such projects to instead be located on “more appropriate” land at Point MacKenzie or in the West Susitna. “The Assembly finds that Point MacKenzie and the West Susitna region provide more appropriate locations for future large-scale industrial, logistics, transportation, energy, manufacturing, and resource-processing development because of existing infrastructure, extensive development potential, and prior public investment,” the resolution states. “The Borough believes that directing future industrial development toward areas where significant public investments have already occurred will maximize the return on those investments, reduce infrastructure duplication, and promote more efficient long-term development.” The resolution does not specify why the proposed development near Houston should not move forward, nor does it specifically mention large-scale data centers among the types of development it seeks to redirect elsewhere. The resolution will be signed by Borough Mayor Edna DeVries and sent to DNR, AIDEA and Mat-Su-area state legislators, according to the measure. “We support AIDEA and DNR — but over there at Port Mac and West Susitna access,” said Assembly member Ron Bernier, who proposed the resolution. [An initial version](https://matanuska.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=a8bc389b-2e9f-4461-be63-a31aaf155ac2.pdf&ref=matsusentinel.com) of the Assembly’s comments approved early this month asked state officials to look at Point MacKenzie and the West Susitna area for development but explicitly said it was not meant to oppose Houston-area development. “The intent of this motion is not to oppose development in Houston, but rather to encourage DNR and AIDEA to evaluate how state land assets can best support long-term economic development across the borough,” that document stated in a “rationale” section. The initial letter was put on hold after Assembly member Stephanie Nowers asked that it be reconsidered to allow for public comment. It was fully voted down Tuesday. Bernier said he added opposition to the Houston-area transfer to Tuesday’s resolution after members of the public interpreted the earlier directive as support for the DNR transfer. “The next thing I know in Facebook world, it’s we’re trying to give away 20,000 acres in Houston, which that’s not my intention,” he said during the meeting. “This resolution is to make that perfectly clear that we want we support AIDEA and DNR, but over there at Point Mac, West Susitna access.” Whether the proposed DNR-to-AIDEA transfer will move forward has not yet been decided. More than 2,000 people submitted comments to the state about the transfer. A memo by a nonpartisan attorney for the state Legislature questions whether the no-cost land transfer is permitted under Alaska law. The memo, written earlier this month, states that the transfer is legal if done for a “public purpose,” but the state may not be able to ensure that requirement continues to be met after the land is transferred to AIDEA. [Two letters sent to DNR by the Senate Resources Committee](https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2026/09/15/lawmakers-raise-legal-concerns-over-mat-su-industrial-park-and-proposed-land-transfer/?ref=matsusentinel.com) also raised concerns about department oversight and warned against moving the proposal forward. “We are concerned that the uses for the AIDEA conveyance are too vaguely premised; that the public interest cannot be evaluated or made certain; and that DNR has not and cannot perform its legally mandated due diligence under these circumstances,” the Sept. 9 letter states. The letter is signed by Senate Resources Committee Chair Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage; Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage; Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage; Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks; and Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage. A petition that former state Rep. David Eastman circulated to more than a dozen audience members at Tuesday’s meeting asks Mat-Su-area state legislators to block the transfer. Eastman is running for election this November in House District 27, which includes Meadow Lakes. “Please join us in telling our Mat-Su legislators to put a stop to the 20,000-acre giveaway boondoggle now!” the petition states. Eastman said he plans to deliver the petitions to area lawmakers. The Houston City Council [voted unanimously last month](https://www.matsusentinel.com/zero-transparency-houston-officials-oppose-land-transfer-process-linked-to-data-centers/?ref=ktna.org) to oppose the proposed transfer process, citing a lack of transparency. The [Willow Area Community Organization voted unanimously](https://www.adn.com/opinions/2026/08/21/opinion-willows-backyard-is-not-the-place-for-industrial-sprawl/?ref=matsusentinel.com) last month to oppose the transfer over concerns about recreation land used for mushing and snowmachine trails. The [Meadow Lakes Community Council also voted](https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1491191543051226&set=pcb.1491191806384533) unanimously last month to oppose the transfer, citing potential loss of access to recreation land, a lack of transparency and a lack of utilities needed to support development. *\-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com*