Huna Totem’s drastically downsized cruise dock gets OK from Juneau Planning Commission

Company cuts square footage of structures by two-thirds due to higher-than-projected costs partially caused by legal challenge to project — which may occur again

An illustration of the revised Áak’w Landing private cruise ship port in downtown Juneau. (Huna Totem Corp. image provided to the City and Borough of Juneau)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A new private downtown cruise ship port that’s much smaller than originally planned got the go-ahead from the Juneau Planning Commission on Tuesday night, but may face a legal challenge similar to one that resulted in a lengthy delay partially blamed by the project’s developer for the downsizing.

Huna Totem Corp.’s revised Áak’w Landing dock features about 18,000 square feet of single-story buildings, compared to 50,000 square feet of multistory development in the original proposal approved by the Planning Commission in 2023. The company says the $150 million projected cost when the original project was approved soared to more than $250 million as of this year, due largely to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

"New tariffs impacting cost of materials, especially steel, would not have been a factor if the project advanced as planned in 2023-2024," Susan Bell, Huna Totem’s vice president of strategic initiatives, wrote in a June 12 letter to Juneau Community Development Department Director Scott Ciambor.

Also contributing to the higher cost, Bell noted, were geotechnical studies revealing an extensive number of offshore 100-foot pilings would have been needed to support buildings and other infrastructure extending beyond the shoreline.

Key changes in the new design, besides the smaller building footprint, are most of the construction will now be on land instead of pilings, and underground parking has been eliminated. The company’s revised application states above-ground parking for 22 vehicles and 16 tour buses will exceed the city’s minimum requirements.

"I think the main point is that the uses have remained consistent," Bell told the Planning Commission on Tuesday. When the facilities are smaller, "there still is a welcome center, waterfront retail, dining, a small cultural center, park and event space."

Bell, in an interview after Tuesday’s meeting, said Huna Totem hopes to start construction on the new terminal next year and be open for some of the 2028 cruise season.

A revised conditional use permit for the project was unanimously approved by the six of eight Planning Commission members at the meeting. Questions from members largely focused on details of the project, such as parking and possibilities for year-round facility use.

The biggest concerns about the revised project were expressed by Karla Hart, a longtime tourism activist who challenged the commission’s approval of the original project. The appeal was rejected by the Alaska Office of Administrative Hearings nearly a year later.

As with her previous objections, Hart said during Tuesday’s meeting the proposed dock poses health and safety concerns for people in the downtown Juneau area due to impacts such as diesel pollution. She also noted the revised design, despite its smaller infrastructure footprint, would actually allow more cruise passengers than the original because the dock design allows one ship on each side.

"It also could accommodate a 949-passenger ship on one side of the dock and a 4,500-passenger ship on the other side of the dock at the same time with the conditions that are under the permit as it's written now," she said. The smaller ship would not count under Juneau's daily five-ship limit for vessels with capacity for 950 or more passengers.

Hart, in an interview Wednesday, said she has not decided yet if she will appeal the new conditional use permit approved Tuesday night. Appeals must be filed with the city within 20 days of the commission’s decision being filed with the City Clerk. She told the Planning Commission she opposes adding a dock until shore power for vessels is available to reduce their pollution impact.

The two-ship dock capacity follows discussions with city, industry and other officials about practical uses — from commercial to emergency — for such a design, Bell told the Planning Commission in response to Hart’s concerns. She also noted the proposed Áak’w Landing development is adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard’s downtown port, which could see significant changes and vehicle activity during the coming years due to the Storis icebreaker's Juneau homeport.

Consideration of the revised cruise dock came about a month after a cruise ship terminal in Whittier built and operated by Huna Totem was destroyed by a fire. Firefighters reported hydrants at the dock, which debuted in 2024, were not working when the fire occurred.

Bell said after Tuesday’s meeting the loss of the $80 million dock isn’t expected to be a financial hardship for the company due to insurance coverage. She said assessments of how the fire occurred and what information might be relevant to construction of Áak’w Landing are still under review.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or 907-957-2306.