Letter: ‘Parking over housing’ headlines misleads

I’ve worked hard on the housing front and will continue to do so, and it is in this regard that I am writing to fill in the rest of the story behind the misleading headline “Parking over housing for downtown” published in the Aug. 18 Juneau Empire.

The story failed to capture the fact that I was the one that pointed out that the Assembly has made the decision to forego the 23 spots on North Franklin Street in favor of housing when the Assembly directed staff to negotiate for a mixed use building with residential units. The story was correct in capturing my concern over exacerbating the parking problem by not providing parking for residents. This was a new development and since the Assembly was going to be discussing parking immediately after the Lands Committee, it seemed prudent to have that discussion before voting to move ahead with the proposal submitted by Eagle Rock Ventures.

Wanting to postpone action after having a full Assembly discussion on parking is not the same as categorically choosing parking over downtown housing, as the Empire’s headline suggest.

Kate Troll, Assembly Member

City and Borough of Juneau Assembly

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