A rent increase is forcing Anchorage’s DMV out of its Benson Boulevard office

An Alaska grizzly bear license plate, available from the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles. (Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles)

A rent increase is forcing the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles to move from its Benson Boulevard offices in Anchorage to an unspecified University of Alaska Anchorage-owned building elsewhere in Midtown.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration disclosed the move in its supplemental budget request released Wednesday. In the request, it asked lawmakers to approve an extra $500,000 for the relocation, including “a new lease, moving expenses, furniture build-out, and public information.”

“The Division of Motor Vehicles unexpectedly must move from their current Benson Boulevard location in mid-town Anchorage to another mid-town location due to lease cost increases,” budget documents say.

The DMV’s deputy director, Jenna Wamsganz, did not respond to a request for additional information.

Public records show that the Benson Boulevard building is owned by a company called North Star 1300, LLC. Its owners could not be reached for comment.

Correction: This story originally mis-identified Wamsganz as the DMV’s director.

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