Housing – Page 2 – City and Borough of Juneau

Mayor & City Manager help break ground for new senior assisted living facility

On Wednesday, Mayor Beth Weldon and City Manager Rorie Watt joined other community leaders at the ground breaking of Riverview Senior Living, an assisted living facility. “For many years, Juneau has needed additional housing for our senior citizens. And it’s finally becoming a reality,” Mayor Weldon said at the event. Here are more of her remarks:

“Riverview Assisted Living will provide nearly 100 assisted living and memory care beds for our community’s elders. It opens up a whole new opportunity for seniors to remain in their home community of Juneau as they grow older. Riverview Assisted Living will also provide more than 50 full-time jobs for our community. Those jobs will include paid internship opportunities for students working toward their CNA, or certified nursing assistant, certificate.

This project is made possible by a public-private partnership between the CBJ and Torrey Pines Development Group. The project would not have been economically feasible without public support, in the form of cash investments and property tax abatement.

I’d like to send a big thank you to Sioux Douglas and her group, who worked tirelessly for more than a decade to get this project off the ground. I’d also like to thank the Juneau Economic Development Council for arranging for a study, which demonstrated the great need for this assisted living facility, and the Juneau Commission on Aging, for all their work on this project.”

September 10th, 2021|

Applications now open for Juneau Affordable Housing Fund; learn more at Sept. 22 meeting

Applications are now open for the 2021 competitive funding round of the Juneau Affordable Housing Fund. The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly has made $700,000 available for use by for-profit and non-profit organizations, public and regional housing authorities, and tribal governments interested in the creation of affordable and workforce housing in Juneau. Learn more about the fund and the application process during an information meeting Wednesday, September 22 at 3 p.m. Join online via Zoom or call 1-346-248-7799 with meeting ID: 876 3506 4056 and passcode: 421755.

Funding will be available as grants or loans, depending on the nature of the project, and can be used to cover capital costs of rental and ownership housing or capacity-building activities, supportive services, and operating expenses in some developments. Funding is competitive. Priorities for this round include: utilizing capital to develop housing units, long-term affordability, and downtown housing development. The selection committee will include CBJ staff and public members, with the Juneau Assembly issuing final approval of the awards.

The deadline to apply for the Juneau Affordable Housing Fund is October 29 by 4 p.m. Email completed applications to Chief Housing Officer Scott Ciambor at [email protected]. Full details on the program can be found on the Juneau Affordable Housing Fund webpage.

For more information, contact Chief Housing Officer Scott Ciambor at (907) 586-5240 ext. 4171 or [email protected].

September 10th, 2021|

New tax abatement program incentivizes Downtown Juneau housing development

The Juneau Assembly passed an ordinance in March establishing a property tax abatement program to incentivize the development of housing in Downtown Juneau. The program provides a 12-year tax abatement for projects that develop at least four new residential units in the area that extends from the Willoughby District to the Tram and up to Sixth Street (map). See the program application here.

“Adding year-round housing units downtown has been a longstanding community goal because people want to live downtown. This incentive will help developers and property owners fill the financing gap that often stalls the creation of new housing in the area,” Chief Housing Officer Scott Ciambor said.

The program would significantly reduce the amount of property tax – around an 80 percent reduction – on new downtown residential units during the 12-year period. Alaska state statue only allows municipalities to exempt the amount of taxes that exceeds the school district’s required local contribution on new residential activity.

The developer has to apply for the tax break program prior to the issuance of a building permit. The tax abatement will not take effect until the project receives a certificate of occupancy. Units developed under the program cannot be used as short-term rentals (less than 30 days) during the property tax abatement period.

The CBJ Housing Action Plan, adopted in 2016, recommended the creation and use of tax abatement programs to encourage the development of workforce, senior, and downtown housing.

The application form for the Downtown Housing Tax Abatement program, and other real property exemptions, is available through the CBJ Assessor Office website, or see the application here.

For more information, contact Chief Housing Officer Scott Ciambor at 586-5240 or [email protected], or go to the CBJ Housing Program website.

April 23rd, 2021|

CBJ’s seasonal campground open Monday, April 26

The City and Borough of Juneau’s seasonal campground, the Mill Campground, opens Monday, April 26 at noon. There’s no cost to camp, but campers must register with campground staff.

Located on the hillside between Franklin Dock and Taku Smokeries, the campground has 20 tent platforms, bathroom facilities, handwashing stations, potable water, 20 personal bear-proof lockers, picnic tables, and other amenities. The campground is accessible by walk-in only; there is no vehicle access.

The Mill Campground is managed through a partnership with AJT/Alaska Electric Light & Power, CBJ Housing Program, and CBJ Parks and Recreation Department. It closes October 15.

For more information, contact Parks and Recreation at 586-5226.

April 23rd, 2021|

Mayor’s Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness Meeting Rescheduled

The Mayor’s Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, October 22, has been rescheduled to the following Thursday, October 29, at 3:00 p.m. via Zoom.

To access the meeting, click on this link: https://juneau.zoom.us/j/95545247449 or call 1-346-248-7799, Webinar ID 955 4524 7449.

For more information, contact Housing and Homelessness Coordinator Jesse Perry at 586-0623.

October 21st, 2020|