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Barry Guilbeau Beeston Hill St. Croix, USVI barry.guilbeau@gmail.com September 23, 2025 Leia LaPlace-Ma hew Territorial Planner Department of Planning and Natural Resources Division of Comprehensive and Coastal Zone Planning 45 Mars Hill, Frederiksted, VI 00840-4474 Via email: leia.laplace@dpnr.vi.gov Re: Objection to Rezoning Application CCZP0069-25 (Parcel 6a Beeston Hill) Dear Ms. LaPlace-Ma hew, In 1995, I moved to St. Croix as a young adult with nothing. From the moment I arrived, I felt at home, and over the years I have built both my life and my community here. I appreciate Mr. Misbeh listening to the community͛s feedback on his ini al rezoning request and adjus ng his development plans to focus more on housing needs. As someone who has struggled rst as a renter and later as a rst- me homebuyer, I know how di cult it is to nd a ordable housing on St. Croix, especially without the support of genera onal wealth. I also echo the comments made by Ms. Barnes at the September 15, 2025 public mee ng: Virgin Islanders deserve the privilege of a ordable housing. Most importantly, the privilege of being a homeowner. As Ms. Barnes reminded us, we each have a duty to provide not only for ourselves, but also for our community. That duty includes crea ng real pathways for young Virgin Islanders to return home, which requires preserving land for a ordable residen al development. Rezoning Parcel 6a Beeston Hill from R-1 (residen al) to B-2 (business) directly undermines this goal. While Mr. Misbeh proposes developing only 3 ʹ 4 acres for a 24-unit housing project, the rezoning of the en re 15.94 acres to B-2 would raise land values, making the remaining acreage less a ordable, and place it at risk for future commercial use. This would reduce the nite supply of residen al land available for Virgin Islanders. Importantly, the proposed housing project can be built under the exis ng residen al zoning and does not require a rezoning to B-2. My opposi on to the rezoning is not directed personally at Mr. Misbeh ʹ G Max is one of my favorite stores, actually. Nor does it come from a sense of en tlement; everything I have, I͛ve worked hard to achieve. My opposi on comes as a long- me resident of St. Croix and a mo vated member of the Ms. LaPlace-Ma hew September 23, 2025 DPNR community. I believe we must work together to use the tools already in place to support development while protec ng the island we all love. For these reasons, I support housing development on Parcel 6a Beeston Hill but strongly oppose the request to rezone it from R-1 to B-2. I respec ully urge DPNR to recommend denial of the B-2 rezoning request and to preserve this land for residen al use for Virgin Islanders living here today, for those seeking to return home, and for future genera ons. Thank you for your considera on. Respec ully, Barry Guilbeau