Town Halls to Determine Territory's Land and Water Use Far Into the Future Hailed a Success by DPNR

  • Staff Consortium
  • March 19, 2023
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Participants of DPNR's Comprehensive Lands & Water Use Plan (CLWUP) town halls. By. DPNR

With over 600 attendees at town halls across three islands, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources is hailing the recent consultative exercise for the Comprehensive Lands & Water Use Plan (CLWUP) as a success.

“It was exciting to see everyone come together in support and planning of the future of the Virgin Islands,” said DPNR Commissioner Jean-Pierre Oriol. “We had an incredible turnout.”

According to DPNR, each of the three main islands hosted two town hall meetings, at which attendees broke into small groups and discussed how to protect, strengthen and invest in, or transform their respective district or the territory as a whole. Participants could mark maps with areas or places of interest that they believe should be preserved, transformed or invested in, and attendees were also invited to submit ideas on a worksheet. 

DPNR says they have tried to reach a wide cross-section of the community, as the CLWUP must reflect Virgin Islanders’ interests and goals. Even though the town halls have been completed, the agency is still receiving input from the public through the project website, which contains information that was presented during the recent meetings. The online survey will be open for the next seven days, until March 26.

The CLWUP, DPNR says, is a long-term, big-picture vision that will serve as the territory’s official guide for land and water use and sustainable development.

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