Gibson Cove

Gibson Cove

Gibson Cove is about 29 acres of waterfront property that is just two miles south of downtown Kodiak. Gibson Cove has historically been used as a tannery, cannery, served as boat gear storage, and other miscellaneous fishery/ maritime industry. It also currently is a highly trafficked recreational beach site for residents.

The City of Kodiak owns the majority of the Gibson Cove property, which was purchased due to the potential development opportunities as commercial waterfront property, something that is very limited in Kodiak. The property includes a dilapidated cannery building and industrial dock, that is currently unsafe for use. These structures will need to be assessed to see if any of the foundations of the building itself or the dock are salvageable. In addition to being a hazardous structure, the Gibson Cove cannery building experienced a fire in January of 2023 that further devalued and damaged the buildings infrastructure.

The Kodiak City Council and subcommittees have been in discussions of potential uses for this property for several years with letters of interest from potential stakeholders archiving back to 2016. In 2019, the City Manager asked the Port and Harbor Advisory Board (PHAB) for suggestions for the uses of Gibson Cove property. PHAB researched and made suggestions to the board based on conversation they had with interested parties including representation from the United States Coast Guard, NOAA, and local charter companies.

In the Kodiak Waterfront Master Plan (kodiakwaterfrontplan.com), Gibson Cove is listed as a priority for renovation and development. Included in the Gibson Cove section (pg. 40) is an aerial map of future plans- short, mid-term and long -term goals (see on next page).

Short-term Goals:

• Demolish old fish cannery
  Midterm Goals:
• Develop vehicle parking area
• Develop pedestrian signage, sitting and walkways within bay area on southside of Gibson Cove
  Long- term Goals:
• Develop pedestrian signage, sitting and walkways from Gibson Cove along Rezanof Drive to the Pier 2-Multi-Dock

The City of Kodiak aims to continue conversations amongst: community members, fishermen, kelp farmers, marine debris & marine net recyclers, local non-profits, and entrepreneurs; all of whom wish to see this unique site used to its full potential, as well as hopefully respect the local recreational uses .