Opinion was split Thursday, with some in the audience speaking in favor of a zone change request for the Grande Bay condominium project and other vocal in opposition at the Planning and Natural Resources Department public hearing at the Legislature Building.
Bay Isles Associates is seeking a zone change from W-1, waterfront, to R-4, residential medium density for its Grande Bay project.
Breeze Enterprises also requested a rezoning so it could put up a building to lease to the U.S. Postal Service for a new St. John facility.
While the post office rezoning didn’t raise any controversy, that wasn’t the case with Bay Isle’s request. Planning’s senior planner, Julius Jessup, and his boss, Comprehensive and Coastal Zone Planning Director Marjorie Hendrickson Emanuel, publicly clashed on whether Bay Isles violated the permitted zoning in putting up the shell of a building on the parcels under consideration for a rezoning.
"What you built is what you are attempting to rezone for. You are using the zoning process to correct what you did," Jessup said.
Emanuel, who eventually shushed Jessup, said that the building shell erected on the parcels in question were not in violation of the zoning.
The flap began to unfold early in the hearing when Jessup asked if a letter he had written to Emanuel complaining about Planning’ lack of action on what he saw as a zoning violation would be read into the record.
His letter was not read.
Bay Isles wants the rezoning so it can build six residential units three stories high in a building that was originally intended to include a restaurant. The W-1 zoning allows a for a two-family building.
The company asked for a rezoning in 2005, but former Gov. Charles Turnbull vetoed a Senate approval. The latest request reduces the density from 14 units.
Bay Isles already constructed 48 units on its adjacent property zoned R-4. That part of the project is also controversial because it blocked the neighbor’s view.
No mention was made at the hearing by Bay Isles principals of the financial aspects of the rezoning request. At a Sept. 18 meeting held by Bay Isles partner Kelly Frye to garner public support for the rezoning, he said the company needed the rezoning so it can presell the six condominium units to raise money to finish the construction.
Speaking in favor of the rezoning, former St. John Administrator Julien Harley said the density was reduced, parking issues resolved and the infrastructure is in place to support the project.
As for the request to rezone a 7,800 square foot lot across from the V.I. Port Authority’s marine terminal in Enighed, architect Michael Spellen of Trinity Architects said the rezoning from R-4 to B-2, business secondary, was necessary because the lot wasn’t big enough under the R-4 zoning. The building would be 6,000 square feet in size with the post office on the lower floor, parking on the second floor and office space in a mezzanine.
At issue is the money the Postal Service has allocated for the project, in the works since 2005.
"The federal funding allocated is not available forever," Spellen said.
