OPINION: Áak’w Landing, a bright spot in Juneau’s economy

Published 10:30 am Thursday, April 16, 2026

With the recent announcement of the finalization of a necessary tidelands lease, the protracted and long-running permitting process for Huna Totem Corporation’s Áak’w Landing development is complete. Construction is slated to begin in the summer of 2027 with a projected opening in 2028.

The lease agreement, drafted and approved by the CBJ Assembly almost one year ago, was signed with little fanfare this month. But it sets the stage for the final design and construction of a new $200 million cruise ship dock and waterfront destination in downtown Juneau.

Beyond dock infrastructure, the development incorporates a welcome center, year-round retail and dining options, a public park, underground parking, and an Indigenous Knowledge, Science, and Cultural Center.

The development will generate significant city property taxes and sales taxes. It will also help reverse Juneau’s declining population and increase our community’s shrinking tax base.

The economic activity that will be generated by this development has been a long time coming and will certainly aid in reducing pressure on the city budget. It will curb downtown vehicle congestion and improve air quality through reduced cruise ship emissions from vessels that no longer anchor out. Expanded green space and 110 new parking spaces for public use will be a welcome addition to the downtown core as well.

The development will highlight Tlingit culture in a variety of ways. The building architecture incorporates a multi-story Tlingit totem pole. Alaska Native art installations will be featured throughout, promoting the revitalization of Alaska Native culture. Partnering with Sealaska Heritage Institute, Áak’w Landing will offer educational opportunities to explore Native culture and history more deeply with private classes and tours.

Project owner Huna Totem Corporation (HTC) has plowed through a multitude of bureaucratic and legal requirements that created delays while city leaders debated the project for nearly seven years.

HTC has not only satisfied concerns raised during public meetings, it has gone well beyond what’s been required of any of the four existing docks in Juneau, including two city-owned docks. At their expense, HTC will construct a seawalk and offer shore power capability, even though similar existing dock improvements have been funded with cruise ship passenger fees or “head taxes.”

Earlier fears that an additional fifth dock would increase passenger traffic proved unfounded. Voluntary passenger and ship limits reached through mutual agreement between the cruise industry and CBJ cap the number of large ships to five per day – the same number that can now visit Juneau.

With the new cruise ship dock in place, large vessels will no longer be allowed to anchor in Gastineau Channel, thereby reducing excess fuel emissions and lightering activity that can compromise air quality and create maritime congestion. With easier shore access, passengers will have longer exposure to shopping and dining venues. They will have greater freedom to explore Juneau through self-guided walks and hikes as well as commercial excursions, thereby spreading out the visitor impacts throughout the day.

Even with agreed-upon passenger and ship limits in place, HTC estimates that demand for dock space will increase in the years ahead. In 2026, an estimated 95 large cruise ships visiting Juneau will not utilize a dock, and instead, will anchor out. With anchored ships moving to the new dock in 2028, even without an increase in cruise ships, the city will benefit from more sales tax revenue generated by the uptick in passenger activity. This will be due to the additional shopping and excursion opportunities not previously available or convenient for passengers who were lightered in from anchored vessels.

Thankfully, Huna Totem Corporation has weathered the Juneau community’s predilection to drag its feet on almost any major economic project.

It’s not always just the vocal minority that causes delays by filing appeals, bringing lawsuits, and implying catastrophe will result whenever developments are proposed. Our own city bureaucracy tilts toward overly restrictive, duplicative, and unnecessary roadblocks to economic expansion – be it a road, a mine, or a cruise ship dock.

Until the community attitude shifts from “why do we need this project” to “how can we get this project done,” we will delay or lose opportunities to grow our economy and allow our community to prosper.

Win Gruening retired as the senior vice-president in charge of business banking for Key Bank in 2012. He was born and raised in Juneau and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970. He is active in community affairs as a 30-plus-year member of Juneau Downtown Rotary Club and has been involved in various local and statewide organizations.