Good morning,
Good morning, As homeowners on Water Island, we are writing to express our strong objection to the proposed lease and large-scale hotel development currently under consideration. Like many of our neighbors, we support the idea of a modest, appropriately scaled boutique hotel that replaces the former facility without sacrificing protected public land. The current proposal, however, extends far beyond that scope and poses significant risks to the character, environment, and quality of life on Water Island. We are deeply concerned about the inclusion of critical public parcels—such as Fort Segarra, Phillips Landing, and the deep-water dock—in the proposed lease. These areas are essential to residents and are protected by deed for public use. Additionally, the plan to construct extensive employee housing on Area K before any hotel is built raises serious questions about long-term intentions and the possibility of the island being left with dense residential development on public land even if the hotel never materializes. …
Download the original document · Plain text (TXT) · Browse the archive · How this archive works
SHA-256 01e191f766c467fe7ef65751d74b7900218eef8cc22c923a1bcaf6f9fa96dca7
Re-using this document
A proceeding of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, open to the public under 3 V.I.C. § 881, which reaches any committee of any branch of government and permits the news media to publish what it records.
Our description, tagging, arrangement, extracted text and machine transcripts are released under CC0 1.0. We assert nothing about the document itself.
Archive identifier LF-01e191f766c4
Document text
Good morning, As homeowners on Water Island, we are writing to express our strong objection to the proposed lease and large-scale hotel development currently under consideration. Like many of our neighbors, we support the idea of a modest, appropriately scaled boutique hotel that replaces the former facility without sacrificing protected public land. The current proposal, however, extends far beyond that scope and poses significant risks to the character, environment, and quality of life on Water Island. We are deeply concerned about the inclusion of critical public parcels—such as Fort Segarra, Phillips Landing, and the deep-water dock—in the proposed lease. These areas are essential to residents and are protected by deed for public use. Additionally, the plan to construct extensive employee housing on Area K before any hotel is built raises serious questions about long-term intentions and the possibility of the island being left with dense residential development on public land even if the hotel never materializes. The lack of demonstrated due diligence regarding the developer’s financial capacity and track record only heightens these concerns. Given the scale of the proposal, the amount of public land involved, and the potential irreversible impact on Water Island, we respectfully request that the Committee of the Whole remove the lease from consideration at the June 26th meeting. More time is needed for transparent review, meaningful public input, and a thorough evaluation of both the lease terms and the leaseholders themselves. The people of the Virgin Islands deserve a process that ensures any development truly serves the public interest. Sincerely, Mike and Karen Catron