Alaska capital city looks to expand borders

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The capital city of Alaska is looking to expand its borders.

The Juneau Empire reported Sunday that the city and borough of Juneau have hopes of owning more of Admiralty Island, located south of the capital city, and a portion of land next to the Petersburg Borough.

“In the near future, annexation of this region is mostly symbolic since there are no local residents or private properties,” Lands and Resources Manager Greg Chaney wrote in a memo to city officials. “In the long run, mineral development or tourism could generate economic activity in this region.”

Juneau already owns a northern portion of the island, but hopes to expand south. City officials are planning a meeting with the Angoon City Council to discuss the possible expansion since the move would bring the two municipalities into closer proximity. Angoon is an Alaska native village in the island’s western region.

Juneau officials’ said their proposed expansion will not intrude on Angoon property, according to the report.

“We felt that we should reach out to Angoon because there are definitely some strong opinions from Angoon about what land is more in their area, historical use and cultural influence, and economic importance and all that stuff,” City Manager Rorie Watt said.

Admiralty Island is famous for having the highest density of brown bears in North America, according to the report.

Juneau has not yet filed its application for expansion, but when it does, the State of Alaska’s Local Boundary Commission will make a final decision.

All of the proposed areas of expansion are in Juneau’s model borough boundary, meaning they are within areas the state initially identified as suitable land for the city to expand into, according to the report.