NorthWind Architects has been involved with the planning efforts of the City & Borough of Juneau Community Development Department and their Auke Bay Steering Committee since January 2014.

Initially the Steering Committee worked to develop the overall area plan for the currently underdeveloped intersection of two major thorough fares, the University, Statter Harbor, Auke Bay Elementary School, various commercial office & retail establishments, and a long string of single & multi-family houses extending along the roads in all directions. It was determined early on how much of an active hub the area was – with the ever-increasing traffic during the summer at the new boat launch ramp and tourism day use activities associated with charter fishing and whale watching.

The Auke Bay Area Plan gathered together background & input from the community and provided a vision for key topics such as Land Use, Recreation, and Transportation throughout the area. NorthWind’s Gerald Gotschall volunteered on the Committee, and along with James Bibb, provided vision options and assistance with the design charrette brainstorming exercises & concept illustrations.

Once the Auke Bay Area Plan was approved by the CBJ Assembly, NorthWind was contracted to work with Community Development & the Auke Bay Steering Committee to provide additional development concepts at the early Master Planning level that will result in illustrative sketches, drawings and a 3D SketchUp model. These efforts will help to illustrate the key features of a new zoning district & several development guidelines for a new Traditional Town Center zoning district within the project center boundary.