March 14 public hearing on ordinance to allow for subport cruise ship dock

The Juneau public will have another opportunity to provide public comment on an ordinance amending the Long Range Waterfront Plan to allow for the creation of a cruise ship dock facility at the subport in Downtown Juneau. The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly introduced the ordinance February 7 and it will be up for public hearing during the March 14 Regular Assembly Meeting.

While this ordinance allows for a cruise ship dock, it does not guarantee that one will be permitted or will be allowed to be constructed. Rather, the ordinance allows for a dock proposal to go through a complete public process and is the first of several permitting decisions the Juneau Assembly and Planning Commission must make regarding Norwegian Cruise Lines’ proposed development at the subport.

How to comment during the public hearing

The March 14 Regular Assembly Meeting will take place in person in City Hall Assembly Chambers. The public can attend the meeting in person, or join remotely through Zoom https://juneau.zoom.us/j/91515424903 or by calling: 1-253-215-8782 with Webinar ID: 915 1542 4903. The meeting will also be livestreamed on CBJ’s YouTube channel.

To provide spoken comments, the public can:

  • Testify in person by attending the meeting. A sign-up sheet will be available.
  • Testify remotely via Zoom online or phone. To do this, you are required to call the Municipal Clerk’s Office at 907-586-5278 and give advanced notification by 4 p.m. March 14.

The public is also welcome to email comments in advance of the meeting to [email protected]. The Assembly has been provided with all public comments received to date.

Learn more about the ordinance

For more information, contact CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at [email protected] or 907-500-8677.

March 10th, 2022|

City Manager proposes how to spend cruise ship passenger fees. Submit comments on recommendations by March 4.

The public has until March 4 to comment on the City Manager’s recommendations for how to allocate cruise ship Marine Passenger Fee (MPF) proceeds. Read the draft proposal here. Read a new memo with supplemental information on the dock electrification item here.

The Manager’s draft proposal makes recommendations on expenditure of funds that come from the $5 City and Borough of Juneau Marine Passenger Fee, $3 CBJ Port Development Fee, and the $5 State of Alaska Commercial Passenger Vessel Fee. For budgeting purposes, CBJ has estimated that about 1 million passengers will come to Juneau this year. Based on that projection, the amount of revenue in fiscal year 2023 is anticipated to be roughly $13.8 million.

In December, CBJ solicited project proposals from city departments and the public, including businesses and the visitor industry, to be funded with MPF proceeds. The City Manager is recommending 15 operating, grant and capital funding allocations. They include:

  • funding for dock electrification, including design funding and a transformer that will allow multiple ships to connect to shore power once available (read the new memo that provides more information on this item)
  • funding for a study on a circulator shuttle bus service
  • a Seawalk expansion
  • refillable water bottle stations in Downtown Juneau

CBJ is also carrying a negative fund balance of $3.2 million into fiscal year 2023, which was caused by the need to continue essential services during the reduced visitor season in 2021. The Manager’s proposal would eliminate this negative balance.

Submit comments on the recommendations by March 4, 2022 to CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce by email, [email protected], or by mail to the City Manager’s Office, attn: Alexandra Pierce, 155 S. Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

All Marine Passenger Fee project proposals and comments will be forwarded along with the City Manager’s recommendation list to the Assembly Finance Committee for review, and then to the Assembly for consideration during the upcoming budget cycle.

For more information, contact CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at [email protected] or 907-500-8677.

February 17th, 2022|

Juneau Assembly introduced ordinance to allow for subport cruise ship dock. Public can comment Feb. 28 & March 14.

The Juneau public will have two opportunities to provide public comment on an ordinance amending the Long Range Waterfront Plan to allow for the creation of a cruise ship dock facility at the subport in Downtown Juneau. The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly introduced the ordinance Monday night and the public can testify on the ordinance during the February 28 Regular Assembly Meeting and again during the March 14 Regular Assembly Meeting when the ordinance will be up for public hearing.

While this ordinance allows for a cruise ship dock, it does not guarantee that one will be permitted or will be allowed to be constructed. Rather, the ordinance allows for a dock proposal to go through a complete public process and is the first of several permitting decisions the Juneau Assembly and Planning Commission must make regarding Norwegian Cruise Lines’ proposed development at the subport.

How to read the ordinance

The introduced ordinance, which is seven pages, includes the actual amendment language to the Long Range Waterfront Plan on pages 1 – 4. The amended language would allow for the creation of a dock facility at the subport capable of accommodating one large cruise ship as well as docking facilities for U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA vessels.

The ordinance, on pages 5 – 7, adds an Appendix B to the Long Range Waterfront Plan. The appendix includes two things:

  • Page 5 lists the recommended criteria – established by CBJ’s Visitor Industry Task Force – for constructing a cruise ship dock at the subport.
  • The Long Range Waterfront Plan, as is, establishes a framework for amendment. Pages 6 – 7 of the ordinance describes how aspects of the framework have been met.

How to provide public comment

Details on providing public comment at the February 28 Regular Assembly Meeting are here; details for the March 14 Assembly meeting are forthcoming. In the meantime, the public can email their comments in advance of the meetings to [email protected].

Learn more about the ordinance

For more information, contact CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at [email protected] or 907-500-8677.

February 9th, 2022|

Comment on draft recommendations for Marine Passenger Fee proceeds by March 4

The City Manager’s recommendations on how to allocate Marine Passenger Fee (MPF) proceeds are now available. The public has through March 4 to provide comment on the recommendations. Read the draft proposal here.

The Manager’s draft proposal makes recommendations on expenditure of funds that come from the $5 City and Borough of Juneau Marine Passenger Fee, $3 CBJ Port Development Fee, and the $5 State of Alaska Commercial Passenger Vessel Fee. For budgeting purposes, CBJ has estimated that 1 million passengers will come to Juneau this year. Based on that projection, the amount of revenue in fiscal year 2023 is anticipated to be $13.8 million.

In December, CBJ solicited project proposals from city departments and the public, including businesses and the visitor industry, to be funded with MPF proceeds. The City Manager is recommending 15 operating, grant and capital funding allocations. They include:

  • city and visitor services and infrastructure maintenance
  • additional security funding to comply with new U.S. Coast Guard regulations
  • funding for dock electrification, including design funding and a transformer that will allow multiple ships to connect to shore power once available
  • funding for a study on a circulator shuttle bus service
  • planning and design for Marine Park
  • refillable water bottle stations in Downtown Juneau
  • replacing real-time weather monitoring stations for navigation

CBJ is also carrying a negative fund balance of $3.2 million into fiscal year 2023, which was caused by the need to continue essential services during the reduced visitor season in 2021. The Manager’s proposal would eliminate this negative balance.

Submit comments on the recommendations by March 4, 2022 to CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce by email, [email protected], or by mail to the City Manager’s Office, attn: Alexandra Pierce, 155 S. Seward Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801.

All Marine Passenger Fee project proposals and comments will be forwarded along with the City Manager’s recommendation list to the Assembly Finance Committee for review, and then to the Assembly for consideration during the upcoming budget cycle.

For more information, contact CBJ Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce at [email protected] or 907-500-8677.

February 1st, 2022|
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