Part of an 83-acre wetlands known colloquially as the Field of Fireweed has been recommended for rezoning for industrial use. The move by the Juneau Planning Commission is the first step in a series needed to clear the way for development of the property adjacent to Juneau International Airport.
The commission voted Tuesday 6-1 to support the rezoning of 23 acres. Commissioner Percy Frisby cast the dissenting vote. Commissioners Michael Levine and Dan Miller were absent.
The vote was first reported by the Juneau Empire.
Landowner Spike Bicknell of Bicknell Construction has been trying to develop the property for years. Bicknell could not be reached for comment. Previous efforts have been rejected by the city following public opposition from admirers of the wild purple flowers that bloom in late spring.
Those critics want the wetlands preserved.
Juneau’s Audubon Society chapter, has identified the parcel as part of the Mendenhall Wetlands complex that’s been recognized as important habitat. But the group hasn’t taken an official position on the rezoning.
“This whole area has been designated as an important bird area,” Audubon chapter President Gwen Baluss said. “Important bird areas are places that we watch from a conservation perspective because they host either migratory stopovers or breeding areas that are really important for several species’ life cycle.”
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1eI3k-xvFRGPnhvX66Y1PGjwGoWE&hl=en&w=830&h=600]Major hurdles still remain before the property can be developed. They include ratification of the rezoning by the Juneau Assembly, as well as the landowner securing permission from the airport to access the property. The commission explicitly stated that access could not be from Egan Drive, and the Federal Aviation Administration regulates road traffic near the airport.
City planners have accepted an application to build a motocross track on the property, but the materials remain incomplete and aren’t yet scheduled for consideration.
