An overview of the first proposed citywide revision in 20 years of permit guidelines for commercial use of recreational areas such as parks and trails, factoring in updated aspects ranging from the expansion of cruise tourism to e-bikes, is scheduled Tuesday evening at City Hall.
Among the major recommendations are banning commercial use of Perseverance Trail and the Sunshine Cove Natural Park Area, where such activity is currently allowed. The final draft of the Commercial Recreation Use Analysis recommends a total of 63 parks and trails be off-limits to commercial use and permitting such activity at 13 locations, including three “new areas that have no historic commercial use.”
“Tourism-related commercial use would be prohibited at 24 parks and 38 trails, including all trails accessing the Treadwell Ditch and all beach access points,” states an executive summary of the draft plan published Nov. 26 by the City and Borough of Juneau’s Parks and Recreation Department. “Including the Rainforest Trail (which accounts for over 90% of all commercial use of trails), less than seven miles of trails would be available for commercial use – representing about 15% of all trails managed by CBJ.”
The proposed guidelines will be presented at a CBJ Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the Assembly Chambers and livestreamed via Zoom.
A map shows proposed commercial use designations for recreational areas in the City and Borough of Juneau under revised guidelines city officials will present Tuesday. (CBJ Parks and Recreation map)
Changes that require updating the current guidelines, last revised in 2004, include newer government regulations, the ongoing growth of cruise tourism, emerging recreational trends, and growing conflicts between commercial and non-commercial users that include disputes about environmental impacts, according to the draft report.
The updated guidelines are based on “a comprehensive inventory of all CBJ-managed parks and trails, including their use patterns,” according to the report. It also includes “analysis of past commercial recreation data, visitor surveys, and existing planning documents to understand trends, opinions, and industry evolution.”
Five public neighborhood meetings were held earlier this year to get input, the report notes. Among the activities was asking participants to assign “grey” and “red” tickets to parks and trails in their neighborhoods, with the grey representing areas with further commercial potential and red areas where impacts of commercial activity are a concern.
Many of the ticketing results were lopsided such as a 151-1 grey-red tally for the Rainforest Trail near Auke Bay and a 48-0 tally for Marine Park next to the main cruise ship dock downtown. Conversely, there was a 0-15 grey-red tally for the Bridget Cove Natural Park Area near the far northern end of Juneau’s road system, while locations with divided opinions included the Perseverance Trail system with a 36-18 grey-red tally.
But Perseverance Trail also emerged at the top of a survey where local trail users were asked which three trails they use most, with 35.11% of respondents including that trail, followed by the Airport Dike Trail at 25.79% and the Treadwell Ditch Trail at 23.36%. There were also a significant number of public comments expressing concern about growing use of Perseverance Trail by independent cruise ship visitors, according to the report.
“This has increased visitor numbers on an already popular trail,” the report states. “Typical trail users include runners, mountain bikers, dog walkers, and hikers, and respondents were concerned about user conflicts and diminishing visitor experiences. The recommendations have been updated to remove the Perseverance Trail System from the areas open to commercial use.”
Similarly, at Sunshine Cove, residents “expressed concerns about any commercial use in this area as it is a popular spot for locals and there is a lack of needed facilities to accommodate commercial tours.” While commercial use was part of the recommendations made in 2004, “there has been little interest expressed in operating commercial tours here and due to the many comments received to maintain this as a non-commercial use area for locals, the recommendations have been updated to remove Sunshine Cove from the areas open to commercial use.”
A gnarled tree is seen along the Kaxdigoowu Héen Dei (Brotherhood Bridge Trail) on Nov. 11. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
New commercial use at restricted levels is recommended at Telephone Hill Park, Under Thunder Trail and Evergreen Cemetery.
The proposed guidelines recommend four classifications for recreation areas: High Commercial Use (including areas such as Marine Park and the Brotherhood Bridge Wayside), Medium-High Commercial Use (i.e. Rainforest Trail and Channel Wayside Park), Medium-Low Commercial Use (i.e. Treadwell Mine Historic Trail, Telephone Hill Park and Under Thunder Trail), and Low Commercial Use (i.e. Amalga Meadows and Evergreen Cemetery).
Among the other recommended updates are:
• Setting official e-bike rules that allow Class 1 bikes (pedal-assisted up to 20 miles per hour), but not Class 2 (throttle-powered to 20 mph) and Class 3 (pedal-assisted to 28 mph).
• Prohibiting amplified sound on trails or in parking lots, except in the event of an emergency.
• Requiring official decals provided by the CBJ to be displayed on all vehicles engaged in authorized commercial activities on CBJ lands.
• Requiring marketing materials for activity on CBJ land to declare the company involved “operates under a commercial use permit issued by the City & Borough of Juneau.”
Ongoing monitoring of use and impacts, and updating the guidelines every three years is also recommended in the draft report.
“The (Parks and Recreation) Department should consider permit conditions that support adopted sustainability goals, such as actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or solid waste,” the report adds.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
