Juneau Assembly approves multiple zoning, flood-study and housing measures; denies one land patent request

The Juneau City and Borough Assembly on Jan. 6 adopted a slate of ordinances and motions covering flood study funding, multiple rezonings to increase housing capacity, an affordable housing loan, capital transfers, a denial of a land-patent application and authorization to begin negotiated discussions on redevelopment near the Seadrome building.

Key outcomes the assembly approved by unanimous consent or formal motion included:

• Glacier flood study funding: The assembly adopted Ordinance 2024-01 (version b, large letter Z), appropriating $1,000,000 to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Glacier Flood Study capital improvement project. Funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Tongass National Forest; the ordinance notes a local match requirement of $326,000 to be met with in‑kind engineering and public-works labor. The manager recommended adoption and the assembly approved the ordinance by unanimous consent.

• Multiple rezonings for housing and development: The assembly approved a series of zoning map amendments intended to enable residential development and increase housing capacity in several areas. These included Ordinance 2024-43 (about 63 acres on North Douglas Highway rezoned to D-3), Ordinance 2024-44 (about 28–29.5 acres in the Oak Bay area, reduced in scope per staff recommendations), Ordinance 2024-45 (about 33 acres north of 15700 Glacier Highway to D-3), Ordinance 2024-46 (about 6 acres at the end of Carl Riches Boulevard to allow multifamily housing), Ordinance 2024-47 (rezoning 39 acres south of Grant Creek from D-3 to D-18), and Ordinance 2024-48 (rezoning approximately 87 acres north of Grant Creek from D-3 to D-15). Packet materials show planning commission recommendations to approve these rezonings; the assembly adopted each measure, mostly by unanimous consent.

• Blueprint Downtown Area Plan: The assembly adopted Ordinance 2024-49 to add the Blueprint Downtown Area Plan as an addendum to the CBJ comprehensive plan. The adoption followed a public comment that requested more time to consider waterfront and cruise-ship related recommendations; staff and the assembly clarified the plan is not a permit and that any future project (for example, a new dock) would require separate approvals.

• Affordable housing loan: The assembly adopted an ordinance appropriating up to $3,000,000 from the Affordable Housing Fund to the manager for a loan to Tower Legacy 2 LLC for the Creekside Apartments project. Staff said the funding follows the assembly’s prior allocation for affordable and workforce housing; the loan ordinance had been reviewed by the lands, housing and economic development committee and was adopted by the assembly by unanimous consent.

• Capital transfer: The assembly approved an ordinance transferring $288,836 from a completed Juneau Police Department roof-replacement CIP to deferred building maintenance, returning unspent funds to another project consistent with the 2022 sales tax initiative that funded the projects.

• License/patent application denied: The assembly denied a patent application to purchase CBJ property adjacent to the Jensen Olsen Arboretum. Staff and the lands, housing and economic development committee recommended denial because the parcel is designated "retained" in the land management plan, managed by Parks and Recreation for public waterfront access, and is inconsistent with adopted plans and ordinance language preserving it for the Juneau open-space and park system. The applicant, who testified, said the lot was small and they sought to build a home; the assembly adopted the staff-recommended denial motion by unanimous consent.

• Seadrome/Gold Belt negotiations: The assembly adopted a motion of support to allow direct negotiations with Gold Belt (doing business as Cultural Preservation, Inc.) regarding the Seadrome property and potential land exchanges or leases involving CBJ-owned uplands and docks. Staff said the property ownership pattern creates development constraints, and the motion authorizes commencing negotiations; any purchase-sale or lease agreement would return to the assembly and the Docks and Harbors Board for formal adoption.

Several items were handled rapidly with unanimous consent after staff presentations and, in some cases, brief public comment. In a few cases (notably the Oak Bay rezone and the downtown plan) members of the public urged caution on trailhead relocation, landslide risk, waterfront infrastructure and cruise ship impacts; staff described follow-up planning steps (trailhead coordination with Parks and the Forest Service, comprehensive-plan work, and additional review). Packet materials show the planning commission and committee reviews noted in the public record. The assembly will receive implementing ordinances and return any negotiated sale or lease agreements for final approval where required.

Record: Most of the ordinances and rezonings were adopted without roll call, by unanimous consent. The patent denial and the Gold Belt motion were adopted by voice/unanimous consent; the glacier flood appropriation and the affordable housing loan were adopted by unanimous consent after manager recommendation.

The assembly agenda lists committee reviews (planning commission, lands/housing/economic development committee, and Systemic Racism Review Committee) for the zoning items and the downtown plan; staff reports and packet materials are referenced for details on wetlands, slopes, mapped constraints, and required local match amounts.