Oct. 14, 2005 -The Senate Committee of the Whole Thursday moved three rezoning requests forward — one on the East End and two center island — that could help development on St. Croix.
John Farchette, who owns Neptune Nursery, said the opportunity for a fish nursery to raise cobia fingerlings at Rust Op Twist could not be better as the supplier of fingerlings for fish hatcheries in Puerto Rico is planning on shutting down its operation in Florida.
Farchette said he was pleased with the positive reception his project received from senators, but the actual zoning change he needs for his property will have to be voted on next month. He said he hopes to have the nursery operating early next year.
The nursery is the first step in a project that will include fish growing full size in cages off shore. (See "Fish Farm Plan in Government Limbo").Farchette still needs to get Costal Zone Management permits before the proposal can go forward.
According to a press release from Senate Public Affairs, two other requests were also shown support by the senators.
They included a request from Nadia Farber, Countess de Navarro, for an amendment to rezone Plot No.27 Estate Slob, East End Quarter from an R-1 to B-3 (Business Scattered). The Countess proposes to develop a group of commercial structures, with the potential for a residential component. The property, across from the St. Croix Yacht Club, is now home to the abandoned buildings of the University West Indies Laboratory.
The other request was by Equity Investment Corp., which seeks to rezone parts of Queens Quarter.The proposed property is located just north of the Sunny Isle Shopping Center on St. Croix and includes the former Queens Quarter Hotel, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. The investment company proposes to redevelop the old hotel into a high-end resort.
Senators in attendance were Lorraine Berry, Liston Davis, Pedro Encarnacion, Juan Figueroa-Serville, Louis Hill, Usie Richards and Ronald Russell.
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