"Douglas Island"

Oil deposited more than a century ago rose through the soil last summer in the popular Treadwell Mine Historic Park.

The port project will need approval from the city’s planning commission to move forward, which requires public comment before a vote. Juneau’s city manager said it’s hard to say how long that process will take.

Very few tribes in Alaska have authority over land, so they haven’t had a way to open reservation-style casinos like tribes in the Lower 48. Many, like Tlingit and Haida, have sought to assert authority over Native allotments — like this one — owned by individual tribal citizens.

The Alaska Native corporation plans to develop the port in phases, starting out with basic dock and welcome center infrastructure before moving into broader ambitions.

City officials say they still don’t know much about the project.

On Monday, the Juneau Assembly unanimously approved a resolution to accept Mayflower Island from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management with the intent to give it to the Douglas Indian Association.