Plans to build Juneau’s fifth cruise ship dock can move forward after appeal attempt fails

This rendering depicts Huna Totem Corp.’s projected caller downtown improvement project. (From City and Borough of Juneau)

Plans to conception a 5th cruise vessel dock successful downtown Juneau crossed a awesome hurdle Monday night. That’s erstwhile nan Juneau Assembly sided pinch a state ruling that nan task could legally move forward, contempt wellness and information concerns brought distant by a section activist.

But, Assembly personnel Christine Woll explained that nan Assembly’s ballot to judge nan ruling doesn’t mean nan task has nan Assembly’s afloat stamp of approval. 

“Please do not construe our determination coming arsenic a argumentation determination astir nan Huna Totem dock,” she said. “This determination coming is simply astir whether we are legally allowed to.”

The projected floating alloy dock would beryllium located on nan Gastineau Channel adjacent to nan U.S. Coast Guard station. The task is projected by Huna Totem Corp, an Alaska Native colony corporation. 

Along pinch nan dock, Huna Totem has besides proposed underground autobus and car parking astatine nan site, unit abstraction and a invited center. They’ve named nan task Aak’w Landing. 

Norwegian Cruise Lines originally purchased nan waterfront spot successful 2019 but gave it to Huna Totem in 2022.

This rendering depicts Huna Totem Corp.’s projected caller cruise vessel dock downtown. (City and Borough of Juneau)

Juneau resident Karla Hart revenge nan entreaty challenging nan Juneau readying commission’s permitting of nan dock past summer. She’s a longtime activistic who has been astatine nan forefront of respective caller attempts to slow down nan maturation of cruise vessel tourism successful Juneau.

“I don’t cognize what I expected erstwhile I primitively revenge it I conscionable felt arsenic if we didn’t person a adjacent nationalist process successful nan very opening and I deliberation we request one,” she said.

The main arguments successful her entreaty were that building nan cruise vessel dock would endanger nationalist wellness and information and that it did not abide by nan city’s existing scheme for nan downtown waterfront. 

But nan proceeding serviceman pinch nan State Office of Administrative Hearings ruled that nan permitting of nan projected dock will not “materially endanger nationalist wellness and safety” and that it mostly conforms pinch nan waterfront plan. 

After nan gathering connected Monday, Hart said she won’t situation nan ruling, but she will proceed to travel nan project’s adjacent steps arsenic it goes done nan Assembly. 

“I deliberation that it’s bully that now we move connected pinch nan existent organization chat connected whether we person a dock aliases not,” she said. 

The dock and waterfront improvement scheme still has a agelong measurement to spell earlier breaking ground. The Assembly needs to o.k. a lease of nan city-owned tidelands earlier Huna Totem tin build it. 

Huna Totem’s president and CEO Russell Dick said he is excited for that process to begin.

“As acold arsenic nan entreaty that was revenge this was nan due determination by nan Assembly. I deliberation nan administrative rule judge sewage it correct and we’re fresh to move connected to nan adjacent step,” he said. 

The Assembly is expected to return up that rumor successful nan coming months.