Development

Legislators Support Rezoning Efforts to Address Housing and Business Expansion

Legislators have fully supported several rezoning requests in the St. Thomas/St. John district intended to spur economic development, and in one instance, correct a zoning oversight. On Thursday, the Committee of the Whole listened to testimony from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources on the requests in question.‌ The first, Bill 35-0309 seeks to rezone parcels 25 and 25B in Estate Susannaberg, No. 17A Cruz Bay Quarter, St. John from from R-1 (Residential-Low Density) to R-3 (Residential-Medium Density). The new designation will allow Shemura Nicholson and her family to construct moderate to middle-income multi-family dwellings on their property, as a response to what the family calls the “pressing need for affordable housing” in their community. The planned development includes three buildings on each parcel and is expected to be completed in phases. While a formal plan has not yet been prepared, the project is expected to take between three to five years to complete. T...