An immense blueprint for the future of downtown Juneau, which has been in the works since early 2018, was handed off to the Juneau Assembly for review and further action in a unanimous vote from the Planning Commission on Tuesday night.
The officially titled Blueprint Downtown covers virtually every parcel of land and every aspect of life in a 613-acre section of downtown, with lists of recommendation actions in chapters focusing on subjects such as land use, tourism, recreation and transportation. It also addresses assumptions about future development, such as the building of another cruise ship dock.
But the dominant topic of Tuesday’s discussion was housing as commissioners and a member of the committee drafting the blueprint expressed concern about how the critical ongoing shortage can be resolved while improving other aspects of downtown such as its commercial appeal.
“I’ve seen the city change and grow,” said Betsy Brenneman, a member of the Blueprint Downtown Steering Committee who’s lived and worked downtown for more than 40 years. “Mostly what I’ve seen is the depressing part of the lack of vitality year-round that used to be downtown. We’ve got to have more people living downtown if we want that vitality again.”
Brenneman, one of three residents testifying during the meeting, asked commission members to recommend the Assembly adopt the blueprint provisions by ordinance as an official update to the City and Borough of Juneau’s comprehensive plan. The 20-year plan was adopted in 2013 and an introductory chapter of Blueprint Downtown states one of the purposes is updating aspects of the comprehensive plan as they relate to downtown.
A map shows the area for Blueprint Downtown, proposing a range of actions affecting the future of downtown Juneau. (City and Borough of Juneau)
The blueprint covers the area from the Rock Dump about a mile south of the Goldbelt Tram to just past the two downtown harbors on Egan Drive, an extension both further south and north than previous studies of what’s considered downtown Juneau, according to the document. More than 100 actions are recommended in the plan, with the following five listed as the top priorities:
• Provide an adequate supply of various housing types and sizes to accommodate present and future housing needs for all economic and age groups.
• Establish an integrated tourism management program.
• Stimulate year-round business vitality and reduce vacant storefronts.
• Fund and staff a dedicated entity to advocate for downtown Juneau, be a positive and energetic source for the long-term revitalization of downtown and launch Main Street, or similar program.
• Complete the Seawalk and Harborwalk.
A key issue of contention discussed Tuesday was enforcement of current city code as well as some of the blueprint’s recommendations. Brenneman said existing regulations — and lack of enforcement of them — were among the problems her committee encountered drafting the blueprint.
“We kept coming up against ‘can we do this,’ ‘why can’t we do this,’ ‘oh, well, this is on the books,’ and we kept coming up against enforcement particularly for housing, for blighted (properties),” she said. “There are many things on the books that the city doesn’t doesn’t enforce frankly, and I think it relates mostly to housing. They don’t have the staff. I think there’s some accountability problems about that.”
A suggestion by Brenneman to implement “disincentives” for owners of blighted properties was resisted by commission member Travis Arndt who, stating “I think carrots work much better than sticks,” asked if focusing on grants or other means to spur development of such properties would be more worthwhile.
“Every carrot that I’ve seen offered over 40 years or so hasn’t produced a whole lot to me,” Brenneman replied.
The Triangle Building, constructed in 1928-29, stands empty as a street clock shows two different times in the heart of downtown Juneau on April 11. (Photo by Laurie Craig)
There was also discussion about how much “teeth” the blueprint’s recommended actions would have in resolving the downtown housing shortage — and if such policies are implemented how much bite they should have.
“We’ve done many things to sweeten the pot and still haven’t gotten where we needed to get,” said Mandy Cole, the commission’s chair. “And so in my view this plan is exactly that vehicle for the next three to five years to try and increase housing downtown by various methods, one of which is every project that we look at in the downtown corridor will be measured against this plan and so understanding that the goals of this plan have teeth.”
It will be up to the Assembly to decide what aspects of the blueprint are implemented as official ordinances — a process expected to take place over a few years — prompting Arndt to ask Cole what goals she has in mind.
”Would you suggest putting something in this plan that requires housing for every project downtown?” he asked. “I mean, that seems like a pretty big stick if there’s not a financial incentive to go with it.”
Cole said she’s not in favor of such a requirement, but “I would be interested in some stronger language within the blueprint that we could use when we were evaluating projects downtown.”
An overlapping element of the blueprint is the Assembly’s plan to rewrite CBJ’s land-use code. That’s another area where enforcement is a problem because there are no fines or similar penalties for code violations, which means city officials are limited to sending letters seeking compliance followed by court action if the matter warrants such attention, said Jill Lawhorne, CBJ’s community development director.
“It is very lengthy, cumbersome and takes up much staff time not only in my department, but in the law department as well,” she told commission members. “And so it’s certainly one thing that could be made much more effective, if there was just a fine schedule rather than compliance orders that need to go through the court process.”
Two other residents testifying Tuesday evening both spoke in support of dock electrification plans referenced in the blueprint. But Steve Behnke, co-founder of Renewable Juneau, said the document is outdated since it states the possibility of such a project should be considered and “we’re way past exploring feasibility” due to Assembly already approving funds and work toward that project.
Betsy Brenneman, a member of the Blueprint Downtown Steering Committee, discusses the report’s recommendations with the Juneau Planning Commission on Tuesday night. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
Comments from 800 to 900 people were collected as part of the blueprint’s drafting process, and further input was collected after the draft was sent to the Planning Commission for review in January of 2023, according to the document. The comments in a supplemental appendix cover a wide range of thoughts from details about specific sentences and locations to broad generalizations about matters such as cruise ship tourism.
A comment submitted in September of 2022 by downtown resident Mike Hekkers, for instance, contains a list of suggestions that would affect his neighborhood.
“I appreciate the push for more housing downtown,” he wrote. “With more housing should come off-street, curbside EV charging for renters and owners that don’t have off-street parking. The new charging station on 8th St is a good start but more should be done. More mixed-use housing could be added to the Auke Village District. There should be incentives and/or penalties (carrots and sticks) for redevelopment of blighted and abandoned houses, commercial buildings, and lots.”
Hekkers also pleaded for “NO MORE new parking lots/garages unless they are integrated with housing above.”
Air quality downtown is a significant issue during tourist season which will be a full 6 month season by 2023,” he added. “The ships are spewing bad air into downtown, and work to have shore power at the 2 CBJ docks should be fast-tracked. The ancient Holland America Princess (HAP) and Alaska Coach Tours (ACT) coaches should be upgraded with emission control devices, replaced, or decommissioned. These buses are rejects from Anchorage and Fairbanks that don’t meet emissions targets there. Capital Transit should only use the electric buses downtown because the diesel buses belch black exhaust, but they are still better than the HAP ACT coaches.”
Meanwhile, a much shorter and more direct comment that same month was submitted by Judy Crondahl, another downtown resident.
“I do not agree with the assumption in the plan that we should allow another cruise ship dock to be built,” she wrote. “Downtown is becoming less and less desirable as a place to live, shop, dine, drink, perform and recreate. Stop this madness!”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
