Design consultants for the Pioneer Park P6 project presented updated parking, riverbank and retaining-wall concepts on July 23 and invited the Chena Riverfront Commission to weigh in before an Aug. 20 public open house.

Michael Baker International designer Travis Donovan and project manager Sarah Shocker described a reconfigured semicircular parking/drop-off area and two paved ramps down to a concrete boat launch intended for non-motorized use. "Our vision is to relocate the wilderness pavilion to this new flat landscape area building up towards the river," said Sarah Shocker, Michael Baker project manager. She announced a public open house on Aug. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Wilderness Pavilion in Pioneer Park.

Why it matters: the P6 package ties parking, pedestrian access and a redesigned river edge into the broader Pioneer Park master plan. Commissioners said design choices made for the retaining wall and parking drainage will shape how visible and usable the riverfront is for years.

Details and discussion: Donovan said the parking plan creates a one-way drop-off and widened sidewalks to allow Canoe Alaska and others to unload non-motorized craft and park nearby. The concept shows two terraced, vegetated landscape areas with accessible paved ramps to the concrete boat ramp and a separate steeper ramp aligned with commercial canoe operators.

Bettisworth North landscape architects presented retaining-wall options: plain cast concrete with form liners, concrete with cultured (cast) stone veneer, gabion baskets, planted segmental/block systems and large boulder solutions. The team noted tradeoffs: concrete is durable and lower maintenance but can be made more visually interesting with form liners or integral color; gabions and boulders look natural but may require more upkeep.

Commission reaction: Commissioners favored a consistent, durable treatment that ties into other riverfront features. "Perhaps we're leaning towards a concrete wall with form liner, integrally colored to match the Phillips Field project," said one commissioner during discussion; Julie Jones urged a stamped, fluid pattern that is practical to maintain and resist graffiti. Bettisworth noted the wall would be roughly 5 feet at the tallest point and about 150 feet long in the segment shown.

Technical and environmental notes: Designers said the riverbank embankment concept is currently modeled at about a 2:1 slope and will likely use vegetated cover with rock armor where hydraulic analysis requires bank protection. Commissioners and consultants discussed infiltration options (depressed landscape areas) and suggested dry wells as a stormwater control so parking runoff would not flow directly to the Chena River. Kellen Spellman, community planning director, noted that depending on scope a borough flood-plain permit may be required.

Next steps: consultants will present the full retaining-wall pattern options and color choices—staff and commissioners recommended an integrally colored, stamped form-liner concrete finish similar to other riverfront features, and to explore embedding a Pioneer Park identifier in the wall. The project team will host the Aug. 20 open house and return to the commission with public input and refined drawings.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to collect feedback from the open house and to coordinate further review before the project advances to planning commission or assembly review.