A couple of new projects are making headway that you might be interested in. First, the US Forest Service plans to build a 7,500 square foot, 2-3 story laboratory, plus parking lot, warehouse, and shop on Auke Lake on 7.5 acres of Forest land between the University campus and Back Loop Road. Planned construction is 2011-2012. Because it is Federal property and a Federal project, it requires no local permitting. The contact person is Becky Gravenmier at the PNW Research Station in Portland Oregon. http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/
Second, last Tuesday the Planning Commission approved a permit for a new 80 unit Aspen Hotel on Airport Road. http://www.juneau.org/plancomm/documents/STF_USE09-41_000.pdf
Finally, on Monday 10/26 at 6pm the Assembly Committee of the Whole will review recommendations from Docks and Harbors to move forward on cruise ship docks. This is a politically complex issue with multiple motivations by different groups. The driving force behind this is to not have a ship anchored in the channel, but allow it to dock. Right now, the city dock opposite Marine Park cannot accommodate the larger vessels that the industry is changing to (known as panamax). There were three main proposals—one is to stay with the present docks, but build them out 100 ft to allow the longer size (and also free up the seawalk from Coast Guard/TSA security restrictions). The second one was perpendicular to Merchants Wharf and the third a site at Gold Creek that would probably be privately developed. The Merchants Wharf site was rejected by most everyone for a variety of reasons.
The Cruise Industry prefers Gold Creek because it spreads out their passengers and enables them to transport them more easily. There is an interesting coalition of Downtown Business Owners, Downtown residents, and Docks and Harbors opposing Gold Creek - but for different reasons. DBA opposes it because they feel it will divert customers away from downtown. Many downtown residents don't want the cruise ships spreading out (and have voted against Gold Creek in the past). CBJ Docks and Harbors wants the current dock option because it is under their control and would keep them receiving the dock revenue. Fascinating dynamics. You can see maps and other info at http://www.juneau.org/clerk/ASC/COTW/2009/documents/2009-10-26_Harbors_Dock_Proposal_and_Request_for_State_Funding.pdf
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4 comments:
Do the assembly members remember the survey from 2004 asking the public what we would want at Gold Creek?
http://www.juneau.org/plancomm/documents/LRWP_Appendix.pdf
The consensus seems to be no new cruise ship dock at Gold Creek by a wide margin.
I'm just hoping to keep the general (non-special interest) public's wishes in the debate.
I can only speak for this Assembly member. While I am supportive of tourism in Juneau, I oppose any new cruise ship dock in the Gold Creek area.
I agree about the public's long standing opposition to more docks at Gold Creek. However, now that CBJ in its infinite wisdom has approved an office building to block the view along the subport, maybe they have already violated the public's desires re that area.
CBJ's only vision for our community seems to be to build more infrastructure for the tourism industry.
One thing to remember is that all the money that would be spent on the docks- either from CBJ or the State -- would come from cruise ship head tax -- not general funds. And head tax fees are required by law and the US Constitution to be spent on projects that deal with the health, safety and management of cruise ships and their passengers.
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