The owner of one of Juneau\u2019s trademark natural attractions is looking to make a change \u2014 again.<\/p>\n
Spike Bicknell, the owner of Bicknell, Inc., owns an 83-acre piece of land that includes Honsinger Pond and the so-called \u201cField of Fireweed,\u201d located just off Egan Drive near the Juneau International Airport. Bicknell recently applied to convert 23 acres of that property for industrial use, and the City and Borough of Juneau\u2019s Planning Commission supported his application in January<\/a>.<\/p>\n The CBJ Assembly will consider the application at 5 p.m. Monday, and members of the public are invited to attend and share their thoughts. The issue has been a hotly-contested one in past years when Bicknell has made similar applications, but CBJ Planning Manager Beth McKibben noted that public furor doesn\u2019t seem quite as intense this time around.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s interesting, is in the previous two rezone requests, there was a lot of input from the public, a lot of interest,\u201d McKibben said. \u201cIn this last time, not so much.\u201d<\/p>\n The zoning change would convert 23 acres of the property \u2014 including part of the pond itself \u2014 from what\u2019s called \u201crural reserve\u201d (RR) to an \u201cindustrial\u201d zone. CBJ\u2019s Land Code defines RR as land primarily devoted to the conservation of natural resources, while defining an \u201cindustrial\u201d zone as land that accommodates \u201cmanufacturing, processing, repairing and assembling goods.\u201d<\/p>\n Multiple local organizations such as the Audubon Society have expressed concern. Local resident Susan Erben, who testified against the rezone during the Jan. 24 Planning Commission meeting, has remained vocal about the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the beauty of Juneau,\u201d Erben said Friday, \u201cand to say, \u2018OK, let\u2019s muck it up,\u2019 or, \u2018It\u2019s OK to muck up because we don\u2019t have enough industrial land,\u2019 it\u2019s silly. We\u2019ve got to hold on to our valuable scenery to make Juneau special. That area \u2026 is our gem.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Bicknell has said that he doesn\u2019t yet have a specific plan for the rezoned property, this is far from his first attempt to rezone the land. In 2012, Bicknell applied to rezone 20 acres of it for industrial purposes and the rest to be rezoned for commercial purposes, but withdrew that application before it reached the Planning Commission. In 2013, he applied once again to rezone parts of it, but neither the Planning Commission nor the Assembly supported the application. In 2015, Bicknell and CBJ unsuccessfully tried to negotiate for a land swap involving the property<\/a>.<\/p>\n Suitable industrial land is hard to find in Juneau, and the Planning Commission deemed that this area could work as an industrial area and could help Juneau\u2019s economy grow. The process still won\u2019t be easy for Bicknell, who needs to develop an access road to the plot.<\/p>\n Bicknell also sent an application to the Community Development Department (CDD) for a motocross park at the site. A motocross site is allowed in either the RR or industrial zone with an approved permit, but McKibben said the CDD has not yet accepted that application because Bicknell still needs to obtain a driveway permit from the Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n