Ground Floor: Spuhn Island
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When real estate financier Karla Allwine acquired Spuhn Island, a privately owned, 212-acre island off of Alaska’s southeast coast, she vowed to make her debut development project unlike any other in the Juneau area. "We’ve placed protective covenants on the 38 lots, ensuring that no more than 10 percent of trees will be taken down for the safety and development of the home. Properties can’t be subdivided. And all building must be approved in advance, along with the city application for building," explains Allwine, who has lived in Juneau for the past 20 years.Although each of the pie-shaped lots, priced from $169,000 to $438,000 and ranging in size from 1.3 to 3.4 acres, boasts 200 feet of waterfront, owners may not build in front of the tree line on the beach in order to protect the natural aesthetics of the island. Towering spruce, cedar, and pines—as well as abundant sightings of migrating whales and bald eagles—also add to the serenity of the island, which is 20 minutes by car and ferry from the Juneau International Airport.
Located within the Inside Passage chain, Spuhn Island is one of the few Alaskan islands connected to city water and power systems, and it is the first in the state to provide fiber-optic cable directly to homes. "Most Alaskan island lots require you to produce your own power, collect your own water, and moor your boat to a buoy. Spuhn Island has all the amenities from the city, protected waters, and a dock," says Ed Grossman, a local wilderness program manager for the U.S. Forest Service, who was the first to purchase a Spuhn Island lot. Although the winter temperatures rarely fall below 30 degrees, Grossman plans to live on the island seasonally, from April to September, when temperatures hover around 60 degrees.
Out of the 14 lots that have sold since the development’s
spring 2006 release, about half belong to southeast Alaskans. Owners from the
lower 48 states are full-time residents of California, Nevada, New Mexico, and
Delaware—some of whom plan to build their retirement homes on the island, where
they can enjoy such activities as fishing, admiring the Mendenhall Glacier, and
basking in the northern lights.
Spuhn Island, 907.523.2129, www.spuhnisland.com
