The Glory Hall is seeking a commercial tenant for the ground floor of its downtown Juneau space.
Work to convert the building, which previously housed the Glory Hall’s emergency shelter before it moved to the Mendenhall Valley in 2021, began in November. Once construction is complete, the building will have seven affordable housing units upstairs and a 2,000-square-foot commercial space downstairs.
Tom LeBlanc, with Carver Construction, is overseeing the project. Standing on the third floor Thursday morning, he said work is moving along well.
“All the framings are done up here,” he said. “Now the subs will be coming in – the electricians, the plumbers – so we still have a little ways to go. But so far, so good.”
Mariya Lovishchuk, executive director of the Glory Hall, said the building will have a one-bedroom apartment and six efficiency units. While the Glory Hall’s Forget-Me-Not Manor in Lemon Creek provides addiction treatment and behavioral health services on site, the downtown units are meant for tenants who don’t need that kind of support.
“These apartments are going to be for people who are below median area income, and people will have to be able to live independently and successfully in these units without on-site staff,” Lovishchuk said.
Lovishchuk hopes to have tenants move into the apartments in June. Rent will be below the fair market rent – in Juneau, fair market rent is $1,138 for an efficiency unit and $1,307 for a one-bedroom. They’ll also accept housing vouchers.
“There are so many people in Juneau looking for housing, with or without vouchers, and just cannot find the actual units,” Lovishchuk said. “We are really hoping to solve even a small portion of this.”
The downstairs space will have a full commercial kitchen, but Lovishchuk said they’re open to all kinds of businesses interested in supporting the Glory Hall’s mission to provide housing. The commercial lease will subsidize rent for the upstairs tenants.
“We’re really hoping to have somebody in there before the tourist season really, really picks up,” she said.
Lovishchuk said tenant applications will likely be available in April. She said people interested in the commercial space can contact her by email at info@feedjuneau.org. A committee of board members will review proposals and negotiate a lease.
