Blueprint Downtown Area Plan

Final Blueprint Downtown Visioning Report

Blueprint Downtown Visioning Process

The City and Borough of Juneau’s Blueprint Downtown area plan will establish the community’s 20-year vision, goals, priorities, and action strategies to guide downtown development into the future.

Work on Blueprint Downtown started in mid-2018 and is scheduled for completion in 2020. The first stage of Blueprint Downtown was completed in February 2019 by a consultant team. This first component established an overall community vision for Blueprint Downtown, which then will inform details of the broader area plan as it is completed.

This vision document builds upon existing plans, augmented with substantial new public input. The goal was to identify a general vision for how downtown Juneau should grow and develop, with detailed backup materials to identify the range of concerns and input.

The completed vision summarizes planning results into nine focus areas that cover the range of issues. Each identifies vision priorities, as well as strategies for cultivating opportunities and addressing challenges, ensuring that downtown Juneau continues to be a place to live, work, visit, and play.

Consultants

Many thanks to the consultant team, who helped us through the project visioning process for our downtown community. They are not only a wonderful group of professionals, but also Juneau citizens who are invested in bringing out the very best for our town. It was a real pleasure working with you all.

MRV Architects
Sheinberg Associates
Lucid Reverie Creative Design

The Blueprint Downtown Area Plan is currently under public review. The Community is invited to provide public comment as the plan progresses from the Planning Commission to the Assembly for consideration of adoption.

Assembly

• Regular Assembly Meeting (Public Hearing): TBD in January 2025
• Regular Assembly Meeting (Ord. Introduction): Monday, December 16, 2024 – 7:00 PM
• Assembly Committee of the Whole: Monday, September 9, 2024 – 6:00 PM
• Assembly Committee of the Whole: Monday, August 5, 2024 – 6:00 PM   
• Assembly Lands Housing and Economic Development Committee: Monday, June 3, 2024 – 5:00 PM

Planning Commission

• Planning Commission Special Hearing (Public Comment): Tuesday, April 23, 2024 – 5:30 PM
• Planning Commission Committee of the Whole: Tuesday, March 12, 2024 – 6:00 PM

You can find the draft Blueprint Downtown area plan and other information on the CDD website: CDD – NPC – Blueprint Downtown – City and Borough of Juneau.

For Zoom information, visit juneau.org/calendar.

1. Who created the Blueprint Downtown area plan?
The Blueprint Downtown plan was created by the Planning Commission-appointed Steering Committee, through an extensive community engagement process. For more information, see Chapter 1: Introduction.

2. What is an area plan?
Area plans are long-term planning documents designed to provide guidance to decision-makers on development, resource allocation, and project priorities. These plans are generally limited to a specific area, like Downtown or Lemon Creek, and span for 10-20 years. If adopted, area plans become part of the City & Borough of Juneau’s (CBJ) Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan).

3. What if the area plan recommendations are not the same as the Comp Plan?
When an area plan is adopted by Ordinance (in other words, part of the city’s Code) it becomes an addition to the Comp Plan. CBJ departments, the Planning Commission, and the Assembly can refer to the newer, often more detailed information found in the area plan to help with decisions. If there is a conflict between the Comp Plan and an area plan, the newer document takes precedence.

4. What if the area plan that is adopted into the Comp Plan conflicts with parts of the Land Use Code?
If an area plan that is adopted by Ordinance into the Comp Plan contains recommendations or actions that conflict with existing Code, the existing Code takes precedence. For more information see Title 49, Article II.

5. How does Blueprint Downtown interact with other plans?
The Blueprint Downtown Steering Committee reviewed 35 other plans and studies that speak to downtown Juneau and incorporated relevant elements into the Blueprint Downtown Plan. For more information, see Chapter 1: Introduction.