Telephone Hill supporters circulate petition, consider Assembly recalls and lawsuits, as Nov. 1 evictions loom

Efforts aimed at deterring city leaders from proceeding with demolition of historic homes as part of redevelopment plan, but some advocates acknowledge odds are slim

Telephone Hill on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Redevelopment of Telephone Hill isn’t on the Juneau Assembly’s agenda for its meeting Monday, five days before the scheduled eviction of residents in the historic downtown area. But supporters of the neighborhood are working to ensure city leaders once again hear their cries to reconsider before demolition begins.

A petition signed by several hundred people, titled "Stop the Bulldozers on Telephone Hill,” is set to be presented to the Assembly. The Assembly could consider a motion to rescind previous action if six of nine members approve, but members interviewed recently said that is unlikely.

Residents of the neighborhood and its supporters have also been discussing more substantive legal actions — including lawsuits and recall campaigns of Assembly members — but some have doubts about how effective those would be.

Joshua Adams, a member of Friends of Telephone Hill who picked up recall election materials at City Hall on Thursday, stated in an email to the Juneau Independent that option "remains, at present, a question."

"I have been advised by some level-headed members of the group that such a considerable expenditure of time and resources(as a recall campaign would surely entail) would not be prudent at this time," he wrote Thursday.

Recalls targeting one or more Assembly members were suggested as a more effective pressure tactic than the petition (which has no legal impact) or a lawsuit by Joe Geldhof, an attorney aligned with the Telephone Hill preservation group. He said a key reason is it appears there aren’t sufficient grounds for a lawsuit that would at least pause the redevelopment plan.

"There's nothing in the ordinances that prevents the Assembly from engaging in activity that is stupid," he said.

Geldhof said acts of civil disobedience, such as refusing to vacate houses or blocking demolition equipment, would likely do little other than result in arrests.

"It doesn't change the fact that the city and borough is lurching forward with something that's ill-conceived, but probably within their ability to pursue," he said.

The redevelopment of Telephone Hill has been discussed for decades, with the State of Alaska purchasing land there with the intention of building a new Capitol. That never happened and the state transferred the land to the city in 2023, at which point proposals for the current redevelopment began in earnest. People living in the neighborhood have been renting the residences there and officials note the occupants have been told repeatedly the area would eventually be redeveloped.

The Assembly earlier this year approved spending $5.5 million to proceed with a demolition and site prep plan expected to cost up to $9 million, with the hope that it will encourage a developer to bid on the development work that includes four midrise apartments with 150 residential units.

Pleas were made at numerous Assembly and other public meetings to halt the project, including about 75 people who showed up at a Sept. 22 meeting to make what some felt was their last opportunity to have the project put on hold.

However, many Telephone Hill residents and supporters expressed renewed hope city leaders might alter their plans following the Oct. 7 municipal election, which saw a two-term incumbent who favored the project ousted by a challenger who has expressed opposition. Voters also approved two tax-cutting ballot propositions, and advocates of those measures say one area the city can cut costs is not proceeding with the Telephone Hill project.

"As has been proven by the results of the last election, the Juneau community is quite displeased with our government," Adams wrote. "This is because we feel symptomatically and chronically unheard by our elected officials."

Assembly members and other city leaders are continuing to express strong support for the project, noting Juneau’s ongoing housing shortage is among its most crucial issues to resolve, especially with hundreds of new residents expected during the coming years when an icebreaker is homeported at a U.S. Coast Guard facility near Telephone Hill.

The Assembly can still take various actions that would pause or cancel the redevelopment project. City Attorney Emily Wright, in an email to the Independent on Friday, noted a motion to rescind action could be taken up under the "new business" portion of Monday’s agenda with the approval of six members. Also, the Assembly could hold a special meeting with Telephone Hill as an agenda item with 24 hours' advance public notice.

Telephone Hill residents were initially set to be evicted by Oct. 1, but that was delayed until Nov. 1 because the notices were not properly served. Demolition of the homes is scheduled to begin before the end of the year. Geldhof said he believes there is still a chance to save the homes until plans for that work are officially in place.

"The last best chance here would be before they sign a contract," he said.

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