Learn about next stages of Pederson Hill Subdivision on May 9

The City and Borough of Juneau Lands Division will be hosting a public meeting on the Pederson Hill Subdivision on Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m. at the Mendenhall Valley Library Conference Room. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the project’s progress and anticipated first stage completion date, scheduled for this summer.

The Pederson Hill Subdivision is a new housing development encompassing 26-acres of city-owned land located at the base of a hill between Auke Lake and Mendenhall River near Glacier Highway. In February 2017, the Juneau Assembly approved plans to begin developing the area in three stages. Construction started in spring 2018. The first stage will have 17 bare lots with minimal site prep, the second stage will contain 30 lots, and the third stage will provide an additional 39 lots for a total of 86 lots.

The new Pederson Hill neighborhood will have water, sewer, power, and cable extended to each lot, along with sidewalks, streetlights, a neighborhood park, and a trail connecting to the Mendenhall River trail network. The lots will be sold to the private sector to build houses. Options for how this will be done and a discussion concerning lot sale strategies will also be discussed at the May 9 meeting.

For more information, contact Land & Resources Manager Greg Chaney at 586-0205 or [email protected].

May 6th, 2019|

Process to demolish former Public Safety Building to start this week

Contractors for the City and Borough of Juneau plan to put up fencing around the former Public Safety Building on Whittier Street this week to begin the demolition process. Once the building is down, CBJ will install a temporary parking lot until a long-term design for the Willoughby District is established.

CBJ is working with Coogan Construction on the project, which will be done in separate phases. Work includes hazardous materials abatement, taking down the building, excavation, installing the asphalt, and striping the parking lot. During the project, fencing will block seven parking spaces along the side of the building facing the Juneau Arts & Culture Center. The alleyway between the building and Zach Gordon Youth Center will also be fenced off. As the project gets underway, CBJ will issue notifications to alert the public of other interruptions.

Built in the 1970s with a 30-year design life, the building has severe structural problems. CBJ purchased the building from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority last year using funding from a State of Alaska grant. The temporary parking lot will have about 60 spaces. As the Willoughby District Land Use Plan gets formulated, CBJ will determine the property’s long-term use.

For more information, contact Project Manager Lisa EaganLagerquist at 586-0893 or [email protected].

April 16th, 2019|

West Douglas Road opens Sept. 28 with ribbon cutting

The City and Borough of Juneau’s West Douglas Road will officially open with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, September 28 at noon. West Douglas Road – a 3.5-mile single-lane, gravel pioneer road – is located on North Douglas Highway, about half a mile before the end of the existing highway.

The ribbon cutting will take place at the gate. Speakers at the event will be Mayor Koelsch, City Manager Rorie Watt, and Lands Manager Greg Chaney. The road has a small gravel parking lot at the gate, extends 3.5 miles, and ends above Middle Creek, about a half mile inland from the coast.

When it opens, West Douglas Road will be open to pedestrian and non-motorized use only. The construction of the road, all located on CBJ land, is included in the 1997 West Douglas Conceptual Plan. It’s part of a long-term planning process to open up potential economic development opportunities, like a deep water port and residential housing.

Construction of the road began in late Fall 2016 and is funded through a $2.97 million grant from the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, which was awarded in Summer 2012 (fiscal year 2013). The road was constructed in two phases: The first phase was 2.4 miles, the second phase 1.1 miles.

For more information, contact Engineering & Public Works Director Mike Vigue at 586-0800 or [email protected].

September 18th, 2018|

Karl Reishus Boulevard to provide access for Pederson Hill subdivision

Motorists driving across the Brotherhood Bridge heading to Auke Bay have likely noticed the large construction project taking place on the right side across from Sherwood Lane. That is the beginning of a new road leading to the Pederson Hill single-family residential subdivision. CBJ has contracted with Coogan Construction to build the road.

The new road will be named Karl Reishus Boulevard. The name honors a Juneau police officer whose quick actions in 1992 were credited with saving the lives of two men during a training accident. Unfortunately, Reishus was killed during the incident. The Juneau Planning Commission memorialized his heroic act by naming the new road after him.

Karl Reishus Boulevard will provide the primary vehicle access to the Pederson Hill residential subdivision. It will also contain water and sewer mains, underground electrical lines and fiber optic cables for the new neighborhood. The boulevard will connect at Glacier Highway and create a four-way intersection with Sherwood Lane. Because the soils in the area are largely made up of peat, clay and fine silt, construction required deep excavation to ensure a stable road bed. The road bed must be very stable as settling could cause waterlines to be break or sewer lines to become blocked.

Construction of Karl Reishus Boulevard will provide the backbone for the development of several acres of residentially-zoned CBJ property at the base of the hill. In February 2017, the Juneau Assembly approved plans to begin developing the area in three stages. The first stage includes building the road as well as a trail suitable for horseback riders and pedestrians that will extend to the Mendenhall River trail network. The first stage also includes 17 compact, bare lots with minimal site prep. The lots will be sold to the private sector to build houses; CBJ will not be building housing.

The second stage will include additional roads and 30 new lots, along with a neighborhood park. The final stage has been laid out for 39 more single-family lots. As the community grows, the area could ultimately support over 200 parcels. The project’s first stage is scheduled for completion early next summer.

As that time approaches, the method and schedule for selling the first 17 lots will go through the public process and be decided by the Juneau Assembly. CBJ’s schedule for construction of the next two stages will be determined by housing demand, lot sales and funding availability.

 

September 14th, 2018|

Two Lemon Creek lots available in over-the-counter sale starting May 1

Renninger Subdivision Lot 4 and Lot 5 in Lemon Creek will be available in an over-the-counter land sale starting May 1. Interested parties can apply to purchase the lots starting at 8:30 a.m. that day in the City and Borough of Juneau Lands and Resources Division office located on the third floor of the Municipal Way Building, 105 Municipal Way.

Previously, these lots were offered for sale via sealed competitive bid. In an over-the-counter sale, lots are purchased at a fixed pre-determined fair market value price. Lot 4, selling for $412,000, is 3.78 acres and Lot 5, selling for $382,000, is 4.38 acres. Both are zoned for multi-family and are close to Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School and Capital Transit bus stops. Jackie Street, which provides site and utility access, is lined with sidewalks.

CBJ completed the Renninger Subdivision in 2016; its namesake, Jackie Renninger, was a former Juneau Police Department officer. Renninger Lots 2, 6, and 7 were purchased by the Alaska Housing Development Corporation, and Lot 3 was purchased by the Juneau Housing Trust. For an in-depth look at CBJ’s plans for Lemon Creek, read the adopted Lemon Creek Area Plan.

More information on both lots, including the sales brochure and purchase form, is available here.

For more information, contact Lands & Resources Division office at 586-5252 or [email protected].

April 17th, 2018|