After months of public pushback, the Juneau Assembly will revisit the current redevelopment plan for the Telephone Hill neighborhood in downtown Juneau.
The neighborhood is currently scheduled to be demolished this summer following approval from the Assembly last year. But at a meeting Monday night, Assembly members voted to reexamine that timeline and the redevelopment plan at an upcoming committee of the whole meeting.
Assembly member Nano Brooks made the motion, which passed in a 6-2 vote. Brooks was elected last fall after the Assembly voted to move forward with the neighborhood’s demolition to redevelop the area into newer, denser housing.
That vote followed years of public debate. Assembly members in favor of the plan say it’s necessary to address Juneau’s lack of housing. Brooks openly campaigned against the plan.
During the meeting, Brooks said his motion was not an attempt to stop the redevelopment, but to reexamine the current plan in place.
“There definitely will be some type of development, but I’d like to know what people are willing, before we try and preface it with a desire that might not be as achievable,” he said.
Despite the vote on Monday, the city is still full steam ahead on the demolition unless directed otherwise by the Assembly. On Saturday, the city released a public notice soliciting bids for contractors to take on the demolition project. The city will begin accepting bids on April 27. The public notice includes a timeline for the demolition to be complete by the end of July or three months after the work begins.
Last year, the Assembly approved spending roughly $5.5 million — pulled from a few different sources — to fund the first phase of demolition and site preparation for the area. The total project cost is estimated at $9 million.
Assembly member Ella Adkison voted against the motion, along with Christine Woll. She said the discussion would unnecessarily rehash something that’s already been voted on.
“I feel that we have voted on this and very similar issues many times at this point and at this point, no new information has come forward that would change my calculations,” she said.
A handful of residents testified against the demolition timeline and plan before the vote took place at the meeting on Monday night. A civil lawsuit filed against the city last fall and aimed at preserving the neighborhood is still ongoing.
The Assembly’s next committee of the whole meeting is on Monday, April 13. Residents can attend in person or online, but the meeting is not open for public testimony.
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