The Juneau Assembly is set to take a critical vote Monday night that will determine if the construction of a fifth cruise ship dock downtown will move forward.
The development proposal is from Huna Totem Corporation, an Alaska Native village corporation that has been trying to build a dock and waterfront development downtown for years.
The Assembly will vote on whether to lease city-owned tidelands, the submerged land in the Gastineau Channel, for the project. Without a tidelands lease, the dock can’t move forward.
Huna Totem has proposed building the dock along Egan Drive near Juneau’s U.S. Coast Guard station and across the street from KTOO. It would be paired with a waterfront development called Áak’w Landing, which would include things like underground parking, retail space and a culture and science center.
Huna Totem says the new dock will help disperse visitors and reduce downtown congestion. Critics of the project don’t buy that, and say they’re concerned about the growth of tourism in town and the potential environmental impacts of the dock.
Both Huna Totem and the city have held public meetings for residents to learn about the project in recent months. It has also gone through years of city meetings and procedural steps to get to this point.
The meeting on Monday starts at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Residents can testify on the topic in person or online before the Assembly takes the vote.
