The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics returns to the Carlson Center this week. The games will be held from July 16-19 — for a complete schedule of events please visit the WEIO website. We also recommend checking out this list of “happenings” going on in town during this week’s WEIO games!
The July Downtown Market is on July 17 — just TWO days away! This month’s market has:
-3 local food trucks
-Live tunes from Muzic Entertainment (sponsored by Festival Fairbanks)
-15+ vendors
-Pop-up pet adoption with Pink Paw Project Animal Rescue
-Scavenger Hunt fun
-Aerial silks by Golden Heart Performing Arts
-Golden Days jail
Bring your friends, your kids, and your appetite — it’s going to be a marvellously golden evening downtown!
FAST Planning Seeks Feedback on Bike Lane Pilot Program. Click this link if you want to make a comment or relay observations about the bike lanes on Barnette Street and 10th Avenue. Policy Initiatives Invite Developers, Investors Downtown. Governments have a role in housing as sure as the sun will shine, and a series of local initiatives — available, where applicable — throughout the city and the Borough aim to bring forward investment in housing. Ordinances and budget amendments in the last year enabled the city to address dangerous buildings and bring the site(s) closer to redevelopment — witness the speedy abatement of the Alaska Motor Inn.
Ordinance 6285, passed by City Council on June 23, incentivizes residential and commercial development through property tax rebates and waiver of permit fees. The Borough is expected to follow suit with a similar ordinance this summer. Additionally, the Borough reduced the quantity of off-street surface parking required in their parking ordinances, reducing site costs/building costs.
Fairbanks Neighborhood Housing has grant funded and Congressional appropriated funds to help stabilize existing housing and create more affordable housing. (Plus, there is renewed potential that Fairbanks’ Regional Development Organization can bring more funds to the table for housing and other community priorities identified in Fairbanks’ Community Economic Development Strategy and Capital Improvement Plan).
Those initiatives all apply downtown — in fact were inspired by circumstances downtown — and investments downtown also benefit from a recent Borough ordinance that allow ground floor residences (by conditional use) in the giant Central Business District — about half of the planning area. Finally, the city initiated a multi-year Storefront Improvement Project in the downtown core to incentivize private property owners to upgrade their properties to improve the streetscape.
Explore Fairbanks Launches its Golden Heart Giving Sponsorship Program. The Golden Heart Giving Sponsorship Program is a new funding initiative designed to empower nonprofits, businesses and individuals in the Fairbanks North Star Borough to enrich the local community and enhance the visitor experience. With $100,000 available, applicants may request up to $10,000 to support projects aligned with one or more of the program’s three key objectives:
- Improve quality of life for Fairbanks residents
- Enhance visitor experiences and strengthen Fairbanks as a regional destination
- Foster innovative community engagement and development
Applications are now open with a submission deadline of August 1, 2025, at 5 pm. Awards will be announced by August 29, 2025, and funds will be disbursed by September 5, 2025. To learn more or apply, visit Explore Fairbanks’ Golden Heart Giving page or contact Charity Gadapee, Director of Visitor and Community Engagement, at (907) 459-3758 or cgadapee@explorefairbanks.com.
Join Monthly Downtown Meetings? Stay abreast of and contribute to the revitalization initiatives underway through Fairbanks2040. Contact david@downtownfairbanks.com for an initial invitation – next meeting is July 16 from 9:15 – 10:15 AM at Key Bank Building (100 Cushman Street) Suite 205 and