A challenge to Huna Totem Corp.’s proposed cruise ship dock at the downtown Juneau subport has been set aside by a state ruling, clearing the way for the Juneau Assembly to take the next step in the process by determining whether it will approve a lease for the $150 million project featuring a variety of waterfront facilities.
A conditional use permit approved in August of 2023 for the project known as the Àak’w Landing was challenged by Karla Hart, a longtime activist who is also advocating for an Oct. 1 ballot measure banning large cruise ships in Juneau on Saturdays. The dock appeal was heard in January by the State Office of Administrative Hearings, with a hearing officer ruling in June that Huna Totem’s proposal “generally conforms” to the city’s waterfront plan.
The Assembly unanimously adopted that finding at its meeting Monday night, but Assembly member Christine Woll emphasized the vote is simply recognizing the legality of the proposed new dock — not endorsing whether it should be built.
“I just want to say out loud to the public that please do not interpret our decision tonight as a policy decision around the Huna Totem dock,” she said.
Hart, after the meeting, said she does not intend to file a court challenge to the state’s ruling. She said she appealed the Planning Commission’s decision because she felt the public process was flawed in the earlier stages of the proposed dock, but is hoping that won’t occur with the Assembly.
“I’m really hopeful that the Assembly holds forth with a real and genuine and honest public process on whether or not we have a dock,” she said.
The appeal means the project was delayed for a year, which also means additional costs for Huna Totem, said Russell Dick, the company’s president and CEO. He declined to specify the amount of those costs, saying his company’s focus now is moving the project forward.
“We’re ready to have the next level of conversation with the community and figure out how to get this done in a way that benefits the community,” he said.
The dock has been in the proposal stage since 2020, following Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings purchase of the nearly three-acre parcel in 2018. Norwegian, after proposing the project two years later without developing the parcel, gifted the land to Huna Totem in 2022 so that company could pursue the dock in collaboration with Goldbelt Inc. and other Alaska Native entities.
In addition to a floating steel dock located downtown along the Gastineau Channel off the intersection of Whittier Street and Egan Drive, the complex as proposed will include retail shops, cultural and science exhibition spaces, and underground parking.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
