Proposed high-rise complex in downtown Juneau irks community members

Eagle Rock Ventures LLC of Seattle has proposed a six-story apartment complex to be built at the city-owned North Franklin Street parking lot. (Rendering courtesy Eagle Rock Ventures LLC)

The design and density of a high-rise apartment building proposed in downtown Juneau drew a lot of public concern at Monday’s Juneau Assembly meeting.

The Juneau Assembly voted in November to authorize the sale of the the city’s North Franklin Street parking lot to Seattle-based Eagle Rock Ventures LLC for $530,000. The developer had proposed turning the 23 parking places into an affordable housing complex.

But a pre-application submitted this spring has alarmed some community members. Andrew Heist was one who criticized the sketches.

“The most recent design calls for 130 single-occupant residencies, with shared kitchens on each floor,” Heist said. “Basically, a high-density boarding house right in the core downtown business district.”

He called on the city manager not to close the sale, which the original agreement envisioned would be completed by the end of this month.

City Manager Rorie Watt told the Assembly that the sketch is only a rough concept and not a formal application.

“The developer has no interest in executing the sale,” Watt said. “But what they are interested in is extending that date for a period of nine months and the purchase and sale agreement provides for that extension. And I think that’s in everybody’s best interest.”

The original purchase had been controversial over the development’s lack of parking. The developers would pay a fee in lieu of parking, but critics said it would be inadequate to offset its impacts to the neighborhood.

Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska

Jacob Resneck is CoastAlaska's regional news director based in Juneau. CoastAlaska is our partner in Southeast Alaska. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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