The ferry that would dock there, a $60-million ice-breaker being built by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, is due to arrive in 2010. Mat-Su officials hope the Anchorage landing and one at Port MacKenzie will be built by then. They still need an estimated $40 million in construction funding to build the landings.
The Army Corps of Engineers will take public comments on the project until Feb. 5. Mat-Su port director Marc Van Dongen said he hopes to get the permit by the end of February. He also needs a permit from the state Coastal Zone Management Program.
The landing, a floating concrete deck, would be accessed via a trestle from the small boat harbor at Ship Creek. The boat harbor is on a finger of land south of the Port of Anchorage.
The municipality leases the tip of that finger of land. City officials have previously blocked Mat-Su's attempts to put a ferry landing there, citing concerns that the ferry would harm salmon and beluga whale habitat.
Anchorage plans to turn Ship Creek into a tourist destination and city officials don't believe the ferry would fit. They would prefer to put the ferry landing at the Anchorage port.
But Mat-Su officials believe few would use the ferry if they had to pass through port security checkpoints or buy a security pass. Van Dongen and Mat-Su Mayor Curt Menard have said they hope Anchorage's stance changes now that former Mayor Mark Begich is in the U.S. Senate.
But Anchorage economic and community development director Mary Jane Michael said the city's concerns remain. The municipality wants to see a comprehensive business plan for the ferry, she said.
Acting Mayor Matt Claman has not yet taken a stance on the project.
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