The Nome Planning Commission met for a special meeting Tuesday to review a conditional use permit application from Kiewit Corporation to construct a temporary crew camp. The sprawling housing complex would house Kiewit employees working on the Port of Nome Modification Project, which is being overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Kiewit's proposal is to build a 186-bed workforce housing facility on a commercially zoned parcel near Sixth Avenue and Steadman Street, just south of the Richard Foster Building. A conditional use permit is required for the building, which is primarily intended for housing, to be built on the commercial lot owned by Bering Straits Native Corporation.
Commissioners heard a presentation from Kiewit representatives detailing the design and operational plan for the camp.
Replay this meeting:
Scott Fowlds, a project manager at Kiewit, described the facility as a five-dormitory complex with single-occupancy rooms, a dining hall, gym and enclosed corridors connecting the pre-fabricated buildings. He said the camp will operate as a “dry” facility with no alcohol allowed, and will include 24-hour security, controlled access and surveillance systems.
“We’re guests here in the city of Nome. We’re here to build a project for the city of Nome and Army Corps of Engineers. And we want to make sure that’s conveyed to all the people that reside in the man camp,” Fowlds said.
The Kiewit officials stressed that the camp's design and in-town location intends to minimize strain on local housing and infrastructure. At a Planning Commission hearing to grant a setback variance for the project on March 3, Nome Joint Utility System Manager Ken Morton said existing water, sewer and electrical systems could support the facility without significant impact.
Speaking to the commission, Ron Thompson of PND Engineers did a line-by-line review of the city’s conditional use permit requirements. He said the project aligned with the city’s own comprehensive plan by addressing workforce housing needs without displacing local residents.
“We feel like that’s the main goal that we saw in your comprehensive plan, that we’re definitely not making a negative impact, we’re actually helping that out,” Thompson said.
Nome City Planner Erin Reinders joined by Zoom and outlined the criteria commissioners must consider, including consistency with zoning regulations, impacts on traffic and utilities, and requirements specific to crew camps. Those include tying the permit to a specific project, limiting its duration and requiring a deconstruction plan.
The permit would be limited to five years or until project completion, whichever comes first, Reinders explained. Any extension would require a new application and public review.
Public Hearing
During the public hearing, residents voiced a mix of support and concern.
Tom Sparks, a longtime resident, raised concerns about traffic and parking near his home. Plans presented by Kiewit showed long rows of parking along the east and south sides of the building for "50 to 60" Kiewit vehicles.
"Some of the parking concerns me, because there's residential homes on the east side of Steadman, but not on the west side. So perhaps there could be some modifications where those vehicles could be parked on the west side of the man camp," Sparks said.
Derek McLarty said a site near the softball fields, about three miles north of Nome’s downtown core, was previously proposed but the lack of potable water and power was a “non-starter”. He spoke in favor of Kiewit’s plan to build a new camp in town, rather than occupy Nome’s limited supply of existing housing.
McLarty also addressed the reputation of large crew camps, which typically house transient workers from outside of the region.
“The concept of man camp and the historical traumas and other things that I hear that come with it, that's really old school stuff,” McLarty said. “I just kind of want to put a little bit of the kibosh to that speech, because I just think it's inaccurate.”
Nome resident Kimberly Ayek cast criticism on the location and pushed back on McLarty's claims.
“It's a man camp, we need to call it what it is. And when we say this is historic traumas, no, these are traumas that are happening right now. They're still happening,” Ayek said.
The Canadian government’s National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls reported in 2019 that extractive businesses utilizing a transient, largely male workforce contributed to human trafficking patterns in Canada. A 2017 report by the United States Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons noted that sex trafficking had increased near oil extraction camps.
Amber Otton also shared her concerns over the project, which is located a stone’s throw from where she works in the Richard Foster Building.
“I do share concerns that Kim just mentioned. I've talked with three of the women in the Foster Building, and we are concerned about safety being right across the street from the man camp,” Otton said. “Some ideas we talked about was it would be nice to have an officer come and just watch us as we go to our cars at lock up. That's just something that we all worry about."
Fowlds said the company was willing to work with requirements set forth by the commission and emphasized its experience operating similar camps in other Alaska communities. Fowlds cited two letters supporting Kiewit’s operations, one from 2010 signed by Saint Paul City Manager Linda Snow and an undated letter signed by Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation’s Paul Ivanoff III regarding Unalakleet’s Erosion Control Project completed in 2010.
Following public comment, commissioners deliberated and added two conditions related to traffic and parking. Much discussion revolved around Kiewit’s plan to send traffic through Alaska Gold’s Access Road to reach Greg Kruschek Nome Bypass Road. Commissioner Drew McCann noted the area near the road is used by children for sledding in the winter, and should be avoided if possible.
With help from city planner Reinders, the commission drafted an additional condition requesting a new traffic routing plan to avoid the road. The commission also added a condition eliminating parking along Steadman Street, with both conditions needing approval before a building permit could be issued.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the conditional use permit with 17 total conditions. The permit is revocable if all of the conditions are not met. The meeting adjourned nearly three hours after it began.
