Juneau Assembly approves lease to turn former pocket park into seasonal food court

The vacant lot at the intersection of South Franklin Street and Front Street is actually made up of several lots. A new seasonal food court will operate on the lower lots that previously held the Gastineau Apartments and Gunakadeit Park before both were demolished in 2016. (Photo by Adelyn Baxter/KTOO)
The vacant lot at the intersection of South Franklin Street and Front Street is actually made up of several lots. A new seasonal food court will operate on the lower lots that previously held the Gastineau Apartments and Gunakadeit Park before both were demolished in 2016. (Photo by Adelyn Baxter/KTOO)

A vacant lot in the heart of downtown Juneau will get a new lease on life this summer.

The Juneau Assembly agreed Monday to lease the former pocket park on Franklin Street to David McCasland of Deckhand Dave’s, a fish taco stand, for use as a seasonal outdoor food court.

The city also repealed a resolution from 1998 outlawing alcohol consumption on the site. Vendors will be allowed to sell beer and wine there as long as the food court operates.

McCasland said his goal is to open by May 1 and operate through the cruise ship season.

He will provide bathrooms and outdoor seating on the lot and is working on getting the necessary building permits.

“(I’m) hoping everything goes smooth there, and once that happens, I’ve got some contractors on line that are ready to go,” McCasland said.

McCasland said he also signed a lease with the owners of the former Gastineau Apartments that were demolished on the adjoining lot in 2016. The size of the two combined lots allows him to rent space to other vendors as well.

So far, he said the business lined up in addition to his own fish taco stand are Alaskan Crepe Escape, Smiley’s Old Fashion Kettle Corn, Glacier Smoothie silt soaps, Coppa and a new business that sells tortas.

“They seemed like a good fit,” McCasland said. “I actually have a spot for one more vendor, potentially.”

McCasland first offered to buy the city-owned lot — which was previously known as Gunakadeit Park before it was demolished along with the apartments next door — last year after he and other seasonal vendors operating on the Archipelago Lot learned the owner had plans to develop that property.

The city opted to explore leasing the land instead, given the possibility of packaging it together with the Gastineau Apartments lot for sale in the future.

According to the terms of the lease, McCasland will pay the city $3,250 per month from May through September and $1,000 per month during the rest of the year.

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