The Haines Borough Assembly last week approved the exchange of roughly .3 acres of beachfront borough land near Front Street and Union Street for .3 acres of neighboring beachfront land owned by Highland Estates LLC.
The swap consolidates industrial activity in the area and brings plans for a Canal Marine boat storage and maintenance facility one step closer to fruition.
Highland Estates owner, developer Roger Schnabel, who has been working to help Canal Marine expand its facilities, said the assembly approval is a positive step, but “we don’t have a green light on everything yet.” He said the next step is to have the properties officially transferred and work with other neighboring landowners to come to an agreement.
Schnabel said he couldn’t give an accurate estimate of when facility construction is likely to begin. “So far, I’ve been on this for a year, but I wouldn’t have guessed it would take this long,” he said.
The Haines Borough Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for the facility in March. The plan has received some community pushback from property owners concerned the activity will lower property values and from conservationists worried about the preservation of intertidal wetlands, critical salmon-rearing habitat.
Schnabel suggested the swap in September after withdrawing a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers permit to fill in tidelands for a boat storage facility. Area residents objected to the project at the time, citing a loss of tidelands, possible disturbance of cultural artifacts and that industrial activity would be too close to residential zoning. The planning commission also opposed the permit in comments to the Army Corps.