Juneau Assembly nears decision on whether to allow another cruise ship dock downtown

In less than two months the Juneau Assembly is expected to vote on a proposal that would allow the construction of a fifth cruise ship dock downtown to move forward.

Huna Totem Corporation has been trying to build a fifth cruise ship dock in downtown Juneau for years. But, to accomplish a feat of that magnitude, it has needed to jump through a lot of procedural hoops.

But now, the Alaska Native village corporation is at a point where it faces what is essentially its last major hurdle: tidelands, or the submerged land in the channel where the dock will be. Huna Totem needs to lease the city-owned tidelands in order to build the dock.  

And it’s up to the Juneau Assembly to approve or deny the lease — without one, the dock project as it stands can’t happen. 

At a committee of the whole meeting Monday night, Assembly members approved the introduction of an ordinance that will ultimately decide whether or not to approve leasing the tidelands. Members are expected to vote on it on April 7. 

Cruise ship tourism and its growth are contentious for residents and business owners in town. There’s a push and pull between the economic benefits of tourism’s growth and the impacts that growth has on the well-being of people who live here.

Residents testified about the proposed tidelands lease at an Assembly Lands, Housing and Economic Development meeting earlier Monday evening. 

Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson, the president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, asked the Assembly to approve the lease. He said the tribe would benefit from the project. 

“This is a significant investment in Juneau’s economy. It’ll create jobs during construction and operation,” he said. “It will generate revenue for local businesses, and this project represents a major step towards greater economic self-sufficiency for Juneau.”

He said the dock would help disperse visitors downtown. He also applauded the corporation’s plan to highlight Alaska Native culture with the project. 

The dock’s proposed location is along Egan Drive near Juneau’s U.S. Coast Guard station and across the street from KTOO’s building. It would be accompanied by a waterfront development called Áak’w Landing, which would include things like underground parking, retail space and a culture and science center. 

Another advocate for the project was Craig Dahl, the interim executive director for the Juneau Chamber of Commerce. He sees a lot of benefits.

“The reduction of bus traffic downtown, the expansion of the seawalk, the additional parking that’s going to be available to Juneau residents, more job opportunities throughout the season, and certainly the future connectivity to shore power to further reduce emissions — these are all significant attributes of this project,” he said.

Some testifiers didn’t feel the same way. Kathy Coghill, a North Douglas resident, said she’s concerned about the environmental effect of the project among other issues. 

“There are some really exciting opportunities for this piece of land that I believe the lease right now is premature,” she said. “I’m most excited about the cultural center, but I feel that local people’s concerns are not being weighed adequately in comparison to the commercial.”

Karla Hart, a longtime activist against the growth of tourism, also shared her opposition to the project. In 2023 she filed an appeal of the planning commission’s approval of a conditional use permit for the dock, citing health and safety issues among other concerns. 

“The health harms, the pollution from the cruise ships is phenomenal, and the city has never directly taken that on to protect the community or even to educate the community on the harms,” she said on Monday. 

Last month, the city held two public meetings to allow residents to ask questions and offer comments on the plan. There will still be another chance for people to give testimony on the topic at the April meeting before the Assembly votes.

Assembly members already shared some concerns, like whether the dock will get in the way of plans for a Coast Guard icebreaker set to be homeported in Juneau. These topics and more will likely be discussed at the Assembly’s next committee of the whole meeting next month.