Project Background
The CBJ Docks and Harbors Department has been planning major improvements to Statter Harbor for many years. Harbor usage has increased steadily over the last two decades, due to the harbor’s geographical location and popularity with locals and visitors alike. The harbor’s infrastructure, however, has aged and facility improvements have not kept pace with the demands placed on the harbor by diverse groups of commercial and recreational users. The congestion caused by limited harbor and parking space often causes conflicts between the CBJ’s various patrons.
The Statter Harbor Master Plan, adopted by the CBJ Docks and Harbors Board in 2005, was developed to plan for the harbor’s future in light of changing conditions. The Statter Harbor Master Plan outlines extensive improvements, including:
- Deferred maintenance on the existing moorage floats, wave attenuator, and anchoring systems
- Removal of DeHart’s Marina float system
- Expansion of the municipal moorage system with new main floats, dedicated stalls, and utilities
- Fuel distribution to the new floats
- Dredging of the intertidal and subtidal basin area along the northern shoreline
- A two lane boat launch and parking facility
- Reconfiguration of the existing boat ramp to accommodate kayak and light vessel usage.
- A small vessel marine haulout facility (Travelift or similar) and marine support services yard
- A for-hire passenger boarding float to support tour and other vessel loading operations
- Redevelopment of complete uplands between Bay Creek and the existing boat ramp
- A marine seawall to retain fill and maximize harbor basin and uplands utilization
- Waterfront parks, pathways, landscaping, beach access, creek trail, and linking seawalk
- Retail and recreational facilities
- Adequate on-site parking, vehicle circulation, staging, and loading areas for all operations
- Landscaped buffer areas near adjacent properties
- New, improved, and safe access to and from Glacier Highway coordinated with Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities’ (DOT&PF) plans
- Parking along Glacier Highway and the Back Loop Road.
The Proposed Action Alternative includes some of these components identified by the Master Plan. Funding for these improvements would come from the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act (Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux) through ADF&G and from state matching funds via the grant administrator U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The intended use of federal monies to fund improvements requires compliance with NEPA in accordance with USFWS guidelines.