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Thatch Cay Proposal Gets Mixed Reviews

April 18, 2008 – While most environmentalists want offshore keys left alone, the presentation of the plans to develop Thatch Cay gave over 60 Coastal Zone Management hearing attendees a vision of development some said they could live with.
More than 60 residents along with the CZM commissioners listened Thursday night to architect Robert deJongh’s two-hour presentation about the development.
Testimony from the public at the CZM hearing held at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources office on St. Thomas ranged from cautiously receptive comments to outrage to character references for the developers. Some thought the developers had taken too much time to explain the project while not enough time was given to those testifying. But the tone of those testifying was mild compared to the vehement opposition vocalized at the recent Christmas Cove application hearings. (See Helen Gjessing, chairwoman of the Committee on Planning and Environmental Quality of the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands said the League dreaded reviewing the plan. "not merely because of the inevitable adverse environmental impacts the development will have, but because this proposal is simply one of several applications for the development of small islands off the coast.”
Gjessing added, “This proposal may be the best that we can expect because we have to recognize that Thatch Cay LLC has selected a very well-qualified group of professionals.”
Gjessing lamented that zoning law revisions hadn’t been made long ago to prevent offshore cays from being zoned in the same manner as plots on St. Thomas.
Along with Simon, several testifiers also felt the density of the project should be further reduced.
Some questioned the developer’s economic feasibility study, while lauding the developer's plans to propagate native plants for the project and finally recommended more details be provided from the developers about erosion mitigation.
David Olsen, chief scientist for the St. Thomas Fishermen’s Association and former Director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife, attributed the audience’s generally measured reaction to the application’s thoroughness. In the last year, CZM has denied a couple of applications in part because there was insufficient consideration on the part of the developers of the consequences of their proposal, Olsen said.
“The developers met with a wide variety of people – that is very unusual – this is almost the first time that I have seen this level of analysis," Olsen said.
Developers’ efforts to reach community groups for input resulted in several modifications to development plans, according to deJongh.
Slated to develop 11 percent of eligible land, the plan preserves much of the remainder for wildlife. Incorporating solar energy and other environmentally-friendly efforts will minimize impact on the area’s natural resources, deJongh said.
Access to the island itself will be controlled, but, boaters will still be able to access the shoreline under the Open Shorelines Act.
“Access to the shoreline is part of the heritage of the people of the Virgin Islands," said Alan Smith, attorney for the developers. However, the rest of the island is a private development and even those who own property there will have to inform and schedule arrival through Thatch Cay management.
Schools and similar groups can make arrangement to visit the island through the island’s discovery center, Smith said.
“These developers really did a planning job of a quality that we have not really seen before and the attendees saw for the first time the degree of planning that should be done." Olsen said. He hopes this application represents a standard to which that all major developments would be held.
“It would be hard to deny this project.".
CZM Chairman Austin Monsanto said that the commission would accept public comment for seven more days.
Comments should be typewritten and sent to the office of the director of Coastal Zone Management. For more information contact the CZM at 340-774-3320.

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