Coast Guard seeks input on environmental review of waterfront infrastructure to homeport up to two cutters simultaneously in Juneau

Support of a new dock is needed — but so is support of housing, childcare and medical services for incoming crew members

People line up for tours of the U.S. Coast Guard's Storis icebreaker at the Auke Bay Ferry Terminal on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. (Ellie Ruel / Juneau Independent file photo)

By Jasz Garrett

Juneau Independent

Housing for hundreds of U.S. Coast Guard crew members and their families was a bigger worry than potential environmental impacts of a new dock among attendees at an open house Tuesday, which discussed homeporting up to two ships in Juneau.

The Storis icebreaker is already destined to dock year-round in Alaska’s capital during the coming years and the prospect of a second undetermined vessel is also being floated by officials. The Coast Guard, which is already in the process of seeking bidders for housing projects, is accepting public comments until July 24 on its draft supplemental environmental assessment for homeporting up to two cutters.

The homeporting options presented at the open house at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center are part of a larger effort to recapitalize the Coast Guard’s fleet “to continue ensuring access to the Arctic Polar region and support the country’s economic, commercial, maritime and national security needs,” according to the assessment’s description. The Coast Guard is still assessing where to allocate its Arctic security cutter fleet, and in June, the first cutter started construction.

Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, suggested the Coast Guard work with the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state-owned corporation tasked with promoting economic development. The Alaska Legislature recently passed a bill sponsored by Story alongside Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, which allows AIDEA financing of multifamily housing construction.

“If you work with a developer, AIDEA’s financing is available, and it would be really exciting if they had a developer who could partner with the Coast Guard,” she said. “Here’s an opportunity to have a state corporation who’s got resources where they could invest in workforce development...Let’s try and use our state resources to really help provide housing for people coming in, working individuals and families with the Coast Guard.”

Story said she supports the homeporting of the ships due to the Coast Guard’s mission of public safety and exploration of the Arctic. Alaska’s congressional delegation has also expressed strong support. 

Currently, the Coast Guard intends to collaborate with the City and Borough of Juneau and local housing developers by participating in a broader local housing initiative.

Coast Guard members would lease a portion of planned or newly constructed housing built by local developers with first right of refusal for purchase, retaining the opportunity to purchase the leased units at a later date. 

A non-binding request for information was issued last fall, with eight developers expressing interest in the real property model. A detailed request for proposals is planned for release later this year to move the housing project forward. The Juneau Assembly reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring community support for incoming service members and their families during a June 18 meeting.

The icebreaker Storis is anticipated to bring 358 active-duty crew members and dependents to Juneau, based on a 2024 Housing Market Survey and Analysis along with typical Arctic security cutter staffing requirements. A second cutter could bring up to 280 active-duty members and dependents, but numbers may fluctuate based on the type of cutter homeported in Juneau.

The second undetermined ship could be an offshore patrol or national security cutter, multi-purpose icebreaker, or multi-purpose polar support ship. 

The Coast Guard envisions construction of new and upgraded in-water and onshore facilities to support the simultaneous homeporting of the Storis and a potential additional cutter. 

The preferred alternative undergoing analysis is a new wharf and finger pier near Station Juneau downtown to meet the necessary multiple vessel mooring capability. Currently, a timber wharf in poor condition needs to be replaced. There were three potential iterations total for how to homeport the cutters. 

Frank Cole traveled to Juneau from Washington, D.C., to answer questions about the new two-berth pier. He is the director of project development for Major Acquisitions System Infrastructure, based out of the Coast Guard headquarters office.

“The initial concept was to moor along a wharf, but since that didn't give us the operational flexibility we were hoping for, and we also have considerations with other operational assets, we went to transition to this particular preferred alternative,” he said. “What we did was we looked at a pier that would allow us more operational flexibility and allow not only hopefully the Storis, but another cutter.”

The pier is up to 560 feet long and 80 feet wide, with a hinged access ramp connecting the shore to the pier, allowing movement of the floating dock. The second berth could support visiting ships for training, logistics, maintenance and other needs. 

“The project could be awarded this fall — it’s possible,” Cole said. “We’d have to review the proposals to consider budget and the capability of the people doing it, submitting the response. It’s a two-and-a-half- to three-year process once the project is awarded.”

He said there is still planning needed, like how temporary moorage would be provided. The floating dock will be built elsewhere and brought into Juneau, while the ramp will be built in place. The Storis is also awaiting extensive upgrades, scheduled to be fully completed by 2029. 

Cole added the Coast Guard is partnering with Huna Totem Corp. on utilities. 

“Right now here at this particular location, there’s not enough power,” he said. “There’s not enough capacity to support cutters, so we're bringing in an additional power line, and we’re working with them.”

Huna Totem’s Áak’w Landing cruise dock is scheduled to be completed by the 2028 cruise season, although it has faced unexpected time delays and price hikes. The Coast Guard pursued a navigation study with the Marine Exchange of Alaska to assess the impacts of the Huna Totem dock. 

Cole said the Coast Guard is also working closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to manage the project. 

“They have a good understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish, and they already have built a floating pier or dock,” he said. “They have the expertise, and we have a lot of confidence in them, and we work well with partnering with another federal agency.” 

Due to Juneau’s short construction window — constrained by harsh weather — the project has unique challenges. The engineering needed to allow the hinged ramp to move with the tide is also complex, Cole said.

“We want to listen to the public, that’s extremely important, and we want to address their concerns, and that’s what this EA is all about,” he said. 

The environmental assessment aims to mitigate or minimize any adverse effects identified during the analysis, while also evaluating resource areas related to design, demolition and construction. 

Mark Ridgway, the branch chief for the environmental management branch of the Coast Guard’s civil engineering unit in Juneau, said questions he received during the open house centered around housing and most general feedback was positive.

“‘What’s going to be the impact on transportation, what’s going to be the impact on housing?’” he said. “Well, what is going to be the impact on transportation? Well, unless we know where the housing is going to be, can we really analyze that? So, when we get to that stage, we'll provide some analysis of that. Right now, we’re analyzing what we can.”

Ridgway said the Coast Guard anticipates more supplemental environmental assessments as other aspects of the overall project emerge, such as housing and onshore facilities. He said since the Coast Guard was already analyzing the homeporting of the Storis, it was prudent to imagine what it would look like if there were two cutters. 

“Getting that additional information as we do our analysis can only help the decision makers when they’re figuring out where these vessels are going to go,” he said. 

He encouraged people to comment during the environmental review process. Questions or concerns may be submitted to StationJuneauHomeportingComments@uscg.mil. Comments will be accepted through July 24 and reviewed to have a final environmental assessment later this year.

“Let us know if we missed something, let us know if you see an opportunity that we didn't see,” Ridgway said. “The community of Juneau has been incredibly supportive of the Coast Guard. I mean, I've been here 30 years. I've watched the community welcome Coast Guard members and it's been a wonderful thing to watch.”

• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.