A Bethel couple is once again petitioning the City of Bethel to allow them to rent out all four bedrooms in their bed and breakfast. The case from residents Dan and Dawn Hackney is making its way through Bethel’s quasi-judicial system.
On Feb. 7, the Bethel Board of Adjustment held a hearing to consider the Hackneys' appeal. The Hackneys want to be allowed to operate their bed and breakfast in Blueberry Subdivision to its full capacity. The board of adjustment, which is made up of Bethel’s city council members, has not yet come to a decision. The board could spend several more sessions deliberating.
The city cited the Hackneys’ bed and breakfast more than two years ago. Bethel City Planner Ted Meyer said that it failed to comply with multiple city codes. It was operating without a permit, and in a residential district that it wasn’t zoned for. The Hackneys argue that they were granted special verbal permission by a former city planner to let them use it as a four bedroom rental anyway, and that privilege should not have been taken away.
This is the second time the City of Bethel’s board of adjustment is considering the Hackneys' case. The Hackneys' appeal was previously denied by both the planning commission and the board of adjustment before being heard in the Alaska Superior Court. The Alaska Superior Court sent the case back to the Bethel Planning Commission, who once again denied the appeal in autumn of 2021.
The board of adjustment will meet for their first round of deliberations on Feb. 24. That meeting is closed to the public.
A previous version of this article incorrectly said that the Hackneys entire B&B was shut down. That’s incorrect, only the fourth bedroom of the Hackneys’ B&B was shut down.
