In the moment that Tony Tengs took the stage at the Alaska Folk Festival earlier this month, he performed an tribute to his Juneau neighborhood, Telephone Hill.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”It’s where you’ll find the oldest home is located It’s as if you’ve stepped way back into time.” He sang. “It’s an oasis of fresh air after the hectic world .”
Tengs is familiar with the oldest house quite well as he’s renting it out for the past 28 years. It’s also the name of the neighborhood: Edward Webster and his family operated the first Alaskan commercial telephone company from the house.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”I refer to it as”the West Wing,” Tengs spoke to reporters inside the house. “I’ve been blessed with some wonderful moments in this place. .”
Telephone Hill has the kind of neighbors who to shovel your driveway in the winter and even call you when there’s a bear in the. Similar to Tengs the majority of them have resided in the area for a long time. With public forums regarding what the future holds for Telephone Hill set to begin in the summer, a number of them are contemplating their next move, and are asking the city to hold off the eviction process as long as is possible.
Telephone Hill was owned by the government. It had seven houses as well as a five-unit apartment building, which was built in 1984 until March of this year when it handed over control to the city and Borough of Juneau. The city applied to purchase the land in July 2020.
In the app the The City Manager Rorie Watt argued that the houses were old and “the property isn’t being used to its most efficient utilization.”
In January 2022, the town declared the redevelopment of Telephone Hill as an important legislative goal and requested $2 million to complete construction on the site. According to the plan description the work would comprise “demolition of the existing structures.”
Now, Tengs’s floors are filled with half-full boxes as well as cases for musical instruments in preparation for his make the move to Fireweed Place, a nearby housing community for older adults. He believes that his neighbors shouldn’t be forced to relocate till the town is ready to begin construction on the next phase.
“Good of many”
The first thing the city did as an owner was to pick the new property manager, JPR Management Services. Their contract is valid until September’s end. JPR will collect rent from the city. In the event that tenants decide to leave their homes and move out, they’ll notify the city know.
“Vacated property won’t be let,” the city’s solicitation for suggestions reads.
Watt explained that the transfer of land and the choice of an agent for the property are latest steps in a lengthy process.
“I believe that for tenants, it might be an increased feeling that something is likely to occur,” he said.
Watt claimed that it’s likely the city will build a new housing on the site and called it an “once once in a lifetime chance” to construct apartments in a prime area downtown. The absence of housing and the increase in short-term rentals has made it more difficult for Juneau businesses to recruit employees.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”I believe this is an old fashioned ‘good of the many versus the good of few’ problem,” Watt said. “I’d like to see a few hundred housing units being made in the community that can be rented out on this property. As of right now, we’ve got 17 people living in the .”
The city is also negotiations in conjunction with First Forty Feet for planning and design services for Telephone Hill. Watt anticipates that they will spend three to five months working on an overall plan for redevelopment. The public meetings regarding the design and planning process could start in the early the summer.
The city has given the planner with examining the possibility of a “no construction” option as well. However, Watt stated that it’s unlikely.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”The Assembly’s goals, which are set each year, are often dominated by issues related to housing,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with preserving the history of a neighborhood. But it doesn’t fit with the goals we’re trying to achieve. .”
A gilded relic of the past
Some residents in Juneau Like Skip Gray waiting with hope for the future of Juneau. save the homes that are in place. Gray moved to the area when he was a teenager in 1975. He recalls hosting visitors and throwing New Year’s Eve celebrations.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”I loved my time in this house,” he said, in the front of his home. “I had a great circle of friends, great neighbors. There’s lots of history within this house. .”
A study from 1984 on the area reveals a portion of the neighborhood’s history. The home is situated on land that was once belonging to Richard Harris, an early prospector and co-partner in the life of Joe Juneau. The street down lies The Augustus Brown House, named after the landlord who purchased it in 1880. He left money to fund an indoor pool after his death.
Gray was subsequently relocated into his new home in the Mendenhall Valley, but he remains adamant for what’s happening in Telephone Hill and listens for updates during city council meetings.
He believes in that there is a need to build more homes in downtown However, he doesn’t believe Telephone Hill is the best area to construct it. He is hoping to get residents and tenants to increase awareness about the process of planning and to discuss their views with city officials.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”This is a wonderful tiny piece of history I believe we should be able to hold on to,” Gray said. “If they show up with bulldozers to take down these homes while I’m in the middle of it, I’m not going to think that I didn’t take my time. .”
Certain tenants, such as Roald Simonson, have plans to stay for as long as they are able to. Simonson was a resident of Telephone Hill for 20 years in a spacious studio with walls lined with shelves of books. The cat he has, Kao, wanders in and out of a window and out onto the back patio.
Simonson has been watching out for housing alternatives because Simonson said, “You have to.” However, he has a request to city leaders.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”Just don’t take us away until you are able the need to do so,” he said. “Don’t be quick to declare, ‘Well, we need to move the residents off this place regardless of what occurs,’ only to let things sit for six months and eight, even a year or even a three-year .”
He hopes that the city chooses an redevelopment plan that will make the next generation proud.
