Juneau Assembly Approves Áak’w Landing, a Fifth Downtown Cruise Dock

“We’re building the uplands to have year-round use for residents and others,” says Huna Totem vice president of strategic initiatives, Susan Bell. If the project gets necessary city approvals, Áak’w Landing will transform two currently unused plots of land to reduce some downsides of Juneau’s brisk cruise ship economy while improving residents’ downtown experience.

Only one assembly member voted against the lease. Alicia Hughes-Skandijs said she was uncertain if planning has thoroughly considered all the impacts to local residents.

Reduced Congestion and Emissions

The new dock won’t increase how many ships Juneau allows to dock per day—five—but it will spread them out across the waterfront and eliminate ship-to-shore boat trips from vessels that rest at anchor. According to Huna Totem, between sixty and eighty cruise ships anchor in Juneau’s harbor each year, resulting in 2,400 annual tendering trips—which would be mostly eliminated by the addition of the Áak’w Landing.

Ships that dock at Áak’w Landing would also be able to plug into shore power. Instead of running their onboard engines during a port call, ships would draw upon Juneau’s electrical grid, which mostly comes from hydropower. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s assessment, “Shore power can effectively reduce ship pollutant emissions at berth.”

“Juneau was a pioneer over twenty years ago of being the first port in the world” to install shore power, Bell says, but currently only Juneau’s South Franklin dock offers it. Áak’w Landing would double the number of ships that could plug in.

Furthermore, developers believe the project will also ease traffic congestion. “Downtown Juneau is kind of smashed between the mountains and the water,” says Alexandra Pierce, visitor industry director for the City and Borough of Juneau. “Hopefully this moves a ship’s worth of traffic outside that bottleneck to an intersection that actually has a signal.”

The new dock would save “an estimated 8,400 bus trips through downtown Juneau each year,” according to the project website. Some trips would be eliminated through the addition of 110 underground parking spots, including 24 spots for bus parking.

Increased Green Space, Improved Seawalk

Organizers say the project would also include year-round benefits for Juneau residents. If approved, Áak’w Landing will add a small park and event space, expand the popular Juneau Seawalk, and add two new totem poles to Kootéeyaa Deiyí, the nearby Sealaska Heritage Institute totem pole trail.

As part of the Seawalk expansion effort, Huna Totem recently signed a memorandum of understanding with AJT Mining Properties to remove the old Standard Oil dock. Once it’s gone, Huna Totem plans to lease the land it was on from AJT Mining for the Seawalk expansion.

“I’m happy to see it go,” says Alec Mesdag, president of AJT Mining Properties. “I think it’s a really positive change—trading out this old Standard Oil dock that used to deliver fuel toward town, and replacing it with something that I think could be a really great benefit for how visitor traffic is managed in Juneau.”

Mesdag is also the president and CEO of Alaska Electric Light & Power Company, which is working with Huna Totem on the shore power aspect.

Currently, a sidewalk next to a highway connects the two sections of the Seawalk. Bell says extending the path opens up possibilities for that area of the waterfront. Adding to Kootéeyaa Deiyí is part of that. Bell says the first totem pole for the project, led by Tlingit master carver Wayne Price, is complete. A second totem pole is still being carved.

Enhanced Amenities

Áak’w Landing will reflect Tlingit culture in other ways, too. The primary structure will include an Indigenous knowledge, science, and cultural center with exhibits and educational programs.

The building will include space for several new restaurants and retail shops. The project website says developers plan to prioritize local businesses in the space.

“I’m hoping that it will bring more people into the historic part of downtown,” Pierce says.