Blueprint Downtown is a long-term area plan for the downtown core of Juneau, Alaska, designed to guide development, growth, and community priorities over the next two decades.
Purpose and Scope:
Blueprint Downtown was created to establish a 20-year vision, goals, priorities, and action strategies for the downtown area, reflecting current public desires and incorporating lessons from past planning efforts (mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net). It aims to provide strategic direction for development while emphasizing livability, a sense of place, and quality of life for residents (City and Borough of Juneau).
Planning Process:
The plan was developed through a comprehensive community engagement process that included:
- Nine focus areas addressing business vitality, housing, tourism, pedestrian access, sustainability, safety, and more mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net.
- 300+ public participants at three public meetings, plus 900 unique interactions from street interviews, gallery walks, and theme-based walking tours mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net.
- Review of 35 relevant prior plans such as the 1997 Capital City Vision Project, 2004 Long Range Waterfront Development Plan, and the 2013 Comprehensive Plan mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net.
Key Priorities:
The top five priorities identified in the plan are:
- Housing – expanding affordable and mixed-use housing downtown.
- Tourism Management – balancing visitor growth with community well-being.
- Year-round vitality – ensuring economic activity beyond peak seasons.
- Downtown point person – completing the Seawalk and Harborwalk.
- Complete the Seawalk and Harborwalk – enhancing public access and experience mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net.
Goals and Metrics:
Blueprint Downtown sets measurable success indicators, such as:
- Number of housing units added annually.
- Independent visitor counts (hotel bed tax and convention/conference attendance).
- Applications for the 12-year housing tax abatement program.
- Parking use, community tourism surveys, crime rates mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net.
Adoption and Integration
The Assembly approved the draft plan on January 6, 2025, with amendments, and it is being considered as an addendum to the City and Borough of Juneau’s Comprehensive Plan (City and Borough of Juneau). This integration embeds downtown priorities into overarching land use policies guiding public and private development. In short, Blueprint Downtown is both a vision and a roadmap for shaping Juneau’s downtown into a vibrant, sustainable, and community-centered hub for the next two decades.
- Click here for the Blueprint Downtown Plan – Approved by CBJ City Ordinance on January 6, 2025.
- Click here for DBA’s Invited Response – Includes DBA mission alignment (pg. 2-3) and recommendations (pg. 4-5); includes page number references to plan.