A rendering of the Flamingo Bay Eco Resort design. Photo Credit: BBK DEVELOPMENT LLC.
Following this week’s meeting of the Coastal Zone Management Committee for St. Thomas, three developments have been approved, among them renovations of the Bertha C. Boschulte School in Bovoni, a boating marina for Estate Nazareth, and a small resort on Water Island.
The marina project, at the Latitude 18 property, necessitates a Major Coastal Zone Management Permit, and is expected to consist of a restaurant, a building for marine services, event space, dry dock boat storage, fuel stations, a utility yard, a wastewater treatment facility, and a generator. As per the proposal submitted by Jack Rock B-A C LLC, the marina will also feature 17 docking slips, adding up to 2,128 linear feet, and a regulated mooring field hosting 68 buoys in Muller Bay. Additional services like waste pump-out are also planned.
Meanwhile on Water Island, BBK Development LLC is planning a 14-unit eco-friendly resort named Flamingo Bay Eco Resort. According to the presentation from the developers, room types include studios, single bedroom, and double bedroom units. Additional amenities like a pool, an alfresco restaurant, and 30 parking spots are also part of the layout, and the property will be operated with round-the-clock on-site management.
Significantly, the Flamingo Bay Eco Resort will adapt some existing foundations from the defunct Fort Segarra complex, abandoned by the U.S. military in the 1950s. The area is celebrated for its breathtaking maritime vistas and historical significance.
During Tuesday’s meeting, committee members Jawanza Hilaire, Karl Percell, Kai Smith, and Winston Adams questioned applicants for hours, ultimately attaching several conditions to their approval of all three projects. With Flamingo Bay, for example, in-house dining will not be permitted in the restaurant after 7:30 p.m., neither will live music be allowed after that time. Guests will be restricted to takeaway or room service, so as to keep any potential noise pollution to a minimum.
Both the resort and marina will also have to comply with the Virgin Islands Conservation Measures, specifically those pertaining to the native tree Boa. According to established guidelines, any chainsaw activity to clear vegetation must not exceed a height of 36 inches. If the snake is located in the construction or operational zones, activities are to be halted immediately, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife is to be alerted for the safe capture and possible relocation of the creature.
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