New Juneau Animal Rescue site gets initial Assembly OK
- Mark Sabbatini
- Nov 18
- 3 min read
Shelter would lease eight acres of city land along Crazy Horse Drive for $10 a year for 35 years if ordinance gets final approval
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Juneau Animal Rescue is a step closer toward a long-awaited new shelter as the Juneau Assembly on Monday advanced a proposal allowing the facility to lease an eight-acre site at $10 a year for the next 35 years.
The design for the new shelter — let alone raising funds for it — is still far from complete since officials are first awaiting the city’s approval of a location, Rick Driscoll, executive director of Juneau Animal Rescue, said in an interview Tuesday. But he said the nonprofit organization’s board members are talking with architects about some aspects of the project.
"We do kind of have a theoretical footprint that would be about two and a half acres, he said, describing the shelter facilities. "And the other additional acres I think we have some wonderful ideas about, things we could do with that property — dog parks, walking trails, animal-related stuff. But I don't have anything crystal clear about what those concepts or ideas might look like."
The city-owned property is on Crazy Horse Drive near the Capital Transit maintenance facility. A memo by city staff presented to the Juneau Assembly states the fair market value for the site is $3,000 a month, but the far lower annual rate in the proposed agreement is warranted since a public service is being provided.
CBJ allows leases “to a private, nonprofit corporation at less than the market value provided the disposal is approved by the assembly by ordinance, and the interest in land or resource is to be used solely for the purpose of providing a service to the public which is supplemental to a governmental service," according to an ordinance cited in the memo to Assembly members.
The ordinance was advanced by the Assembly during Monday’s meeting without discussion as part of the consent calendar, with city leaders previously passing a motion of support at their July 28 meeting. The proposal will next be subject to public comment before a possible final vote of approval at a future Assembly meeting.
Juneau Animal Rescue has been operating its current facility at 7705 Glacier Highway since 1984. Officials have been seeking a new site in recent years, stating the current one lacks sufficient shelter space to meet demand, the building is deteriorating and a 2021 inspection shows the facility doesn’t meet national standards.
"Other than a modern and safe building, we just want to upgrade the shelter that we have to something that meets national standards, and is a modern, safe, permanent shelter to serve the community for another 60 years," Driscoll said.
The Crazy Horse Drive site was deemed a good fit by shelter officials after discussions with the city’s Lands and Resources Department, he said.
"We don't want to be in residential areas because we could be potentially loud neighbors since we serve dogs," Driscoll said. "We also wanted a commercial area, but something that's accessible to the community. So kind of centrally located somewhere."
The proposed ordinance states the 35-year lease between the CBJ and Juneau Animal Rescue can be terminated if it is not used for its intended purpose during an 18-month period. The proposal also allows a one-time extension of the lease for an additional 35 years.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
