While not much has changed on Juneau’s waterfront since the Juneau Assembly approved a tidelands lease for the development of a fifth cruise ship dock downtown last year, work has been progressing in the background.
That’s according to Susan Bell with Huna Totem Corp., the Alaska Native village corporation behind the project.
Earlier this week, Huna Totem and the City and Borough of Juneau finalized the tidelands lease agreement, which gives the final stamp for its development. Bell said now the corporation aims to begin construction next summer and open the dock for the 2028 cruise season.
“There’s still a lot of detailed engineering and design that needs to happen, and we needed to be sure that we do this sequentially,” she said. “Signing the lease allows us to have confidence in moving forward with securing steel, securing the float that is needed for the dock and things.”
The dock will be constructed in Gastineau Channel and paired with an upland waterfront development called Áak’w Landing. It’s estimated to cost at least $150 million. The development was approved by the Juneau planning commission in 2023. It will include underground parking, retail space and a culture and science center located along Egan Drive next to Juneau’s U.S. Coast Guard station.
The project garnered a lot of public attention over the past few years as the Assembly and city continue to grapple with how to best manage the growth of cruise ship tourism in town.
Huna Totem said the development would help spread out tourism’s impact on the downtown area and ease vehicle congestion. However, critics argue the opposite and worry about the health impacts the ships could have on air quality.
Bell said the corporation is committed to listening to the public as it moves forward with the development.
“This was built on years of input, and I think Huna Totem will continue making sure that we’re continuing that dialog and getting people’s input,” she said.
The corporation plans to talk at the Juneau Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Thursday, May 7. Huna Totem otherwise doesn’t have any public events or listening sessions planned in Juneau in the near future.
Juneau’s local Alaska Native corporation, Goldbelt Incorporated, is similarly proposing a new cruise ship port on the backside of Douglas Island. It officially submitted a conditional-use permit application to the city in February. The project will still need approval from the planning commission and the Juneau Assembly.
