The hotel has submitted a proposal to the Coastal Zone Management and a hearing is scheduled for June 7.
The expansion, if approved, would be at the same spot where Bluebeard's Castle Hotel once had a beach hotel facility. It was abandoned in the 70s.
Marriott International Hotels Virgin Islands currently owns and operates the Ritz-Carlton Hotel located between Cowpet Bay Condominiums and the old Bluebeard's Beach past Red Hook on the East end of St. Thomas.
The Ritz-Carlton already has 152 hotel units at its present location. According to the Environmental Assessment Report filed by William M. Karr and Associates, January 4 and revised April 9, "the hotel is frequently over booked and as such the clientele leaves the island for other 'Ritz' quality facilities."
According to Ritz, the suite concept has proven most profitable and they are anxious to expand. The 60 two-bedroom units and 20 three-bedroom units will be marketed as the "Ritz-Carlton Residence."
While these W-1, R-1 and R-3 properties could conceivably be "developed to the maximum 645 units," according to the developers, they only intend to "develop a total of 128 units without any development on the 8.3 acre R-1 parcel."
This property falls within the "Vessup Bay/ East End Area of Particular Concern" as designated by the CZM. The Great Bay or Bluebeard's Beach is designated as VI-33 in the USFWS' 1990 Coastal Barrier Resources System designation. The land behind the beach is listed as a definite flood zone. Some 20 of the total 27 acres could well be considered beach and wet lands.
According to the proposal, Marriott will improve and maintain some 1000 feet of shoreline along Muller Bay, which is the south side of Red Hook east of Vessup Bay.
In particular, the development will include two four-story buildings south of Bluebeard's Beach, and three five-story buildings along the west side of the beach in the flood plain. It will also include a 3,536 square foot club house and free form pool between the units and Great Bay.
The planners estimate construction to yield some $2.8 million in government revenue from labor and $11.6 million from construction materials taxes. The annual payroll for the development is expected to be $1.13 million yielding $79,000 in income tax.
Hotel occupancy tax is expected to run $1.8 million per year yielding a total annual government income estimated at $1.9 million.
