Hoona Totem project scaled back, CUP amendment required before lease changes

Miss Bell, the Hoona Totem project representative, told the Juneau City and Borough Assembly Committee of the Whole that the uplands portion of the Auke Landing (subport) development has been scaled down from the previously approved maximum of about 50,000 square feet to approximately 18,000 square feet. The reduction reflects cost pressures and engineering constraints, she said, and will preserve key uses such as a welcome center, waterfront retail and dining, and a cultural center.

The project team has paused on any lease amendment until the planning commission and conditional use permit (CUP) amendment process is complete. Manager Kester explained that because the CUP was adopted as part of the lease, “we cannot amend the lease until that CUP process is through.” The project has submitted a request for a pre‑application conference with Community Development and expects that planning review and public hearings will occur before any lease amendment returns to the assembly.

Miss Bell described coordinated navigability and vessel‑simulation work with the Coast Guard and Marine Exchange, and said the Coast Guard sponsored a second round of vessel simulations. She also told the committee that geotechnical work indicated a need for deep pilings (about 100 feet) in the uplands portion of the design and that piling and steel costs contributed to the decision to pare back the building mass.

On costs, Miss Bell said, “We asked our team to shoot for a 150,000,000,” and that figure includes contingencies. She described tradeoffs the team considered—retaining design elements reflecting Tlingit culture and year‑round uses while removing the underground parking and reducing building footprint to control costs.

Project proponents said the site plan still provides surface parking that exceeds minimum requirements, bus staging, and an extended seawall and that some dining decks and event space will extend over water, though the uplands plan reduces piling and over‑water exposure compared with earlier designs. Staff emphasized ongoing coordination with Department of Natural Resources, Docks and Harbors, the Coast Guard, and cruise‑line stakeholders and said the project remains subject to the planning commission’s CUP process.

The presentation closed with staff noting the project will return to the assembly as a lease amendment only after the CUP amendment and planning review are complete.