Juneau assembly directs staff to scope West Douglas master plan amid Gold Belt proposal

The Assembly Committee of the Whole voted Nov. 3 to direct staff to prepare a scope of work, including process and budget, for a West Douglas master plan and return that outline to the committee for further action.

Director Lawhorn told the assembly she and staff have not yet received a final application from Gold Belt Corporation LLC and that staff provided the draft materials in the packet to help the assembly “think about how you as a body would interact with this proposed project.” “As of today, still no application has been submitted,” Lawhorn said. “We can proceed if the assembly directs us to do so on the West Douglas master plan and by ‘beginning’ I do mean beginning.”

Why it matters: West Douglas contains both CBJ‑owned and privately held land and has been identified as a potential new‑growth area in the comprehensive plan. Lawhorn said the comprehensive plan update currently underway and other work give CBJ enough standing to begin the master‑planning process now, but that a separate, detailed application from a developer would still be required for…