Juneau officials outline Telephone Hill redevelopment plan, sequencing outreach after demolition

City and Borough of Juneau officials on Monday discussed plans to redevelop Telephone Hill as a potential site for workforce housing, saying the parcel’s size, walkability and existing utilities make it uniquely able to support higher-density housing. Staff told the assembly that developer solicitations have not yet been issued and that outreach would be expanded as directed and timed to follow the start of demolition.

The discussion centered on why Telephone Hill was prioritized over other city-owned sites, how the city will solicit developers, and what trade-offs the assembly may face between project cost, density and affordability. ‘‘Telephone Hill really does have the opportunity to move the needle on a need that we have identified, time and time again in all of our studies, and that’s workforce housing because of its location, the walkability, transit center right there,’’ a city staff member said. City staff contrasted Telephone Hill with other CBJ parcels downtown, including 450 Whittier and the Second and Franklin site.

Why it matters: Juneau officials and residents framed the item…