Nov. 30, 2008 — The residents of Estate Mandahl aren't keeping quiet any longer. After their debut on the radio last week, the group met by the hundreds Sunday afternoon to publicly oppose a large-scale marina and residential housing development proposed for their area, and made plans to fight the project till the very end.
Mandahl residents have been building their forces for almost three years now, meeting for the first time at Mandahl Beach in early 2006 (See "Mandahl Residents Worried About Possible Development.").
Since then, they have continued researching what's being planned and have been brainstorming about halting the project — including setting up meetings with some of the developer's representatives and officials from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
But at a town meeting held Sunday at Mandahl Beach, many community members said that these meetings have produced more questions than answers. What are the developer's plans, for example, to save the area's thriving marine ecosystems, and why haven't any public meetings been held to date to discuss the project with local residents, they asked?
The proposed development, dubbed the Port of Mandahl Project, covers about 15 parcels of land, which "creates 91 acres for our coastal community — estate homesites to studio apartments — a marina and full service town center," according to an environmental assessment report (EAR) filed at DPNR earlier this month by Springline Architects, an agent for St. Thomas-based Mandahl Holdings Inc. and MJS Realty out of Dallas, Texas. The name listed on the Coastal Zone Management permit application under Mandahl Bay Holdings is Mark Small.
A representative from Springline attended Sunday's meeting, but did not make a presentation.
The first phase of the project is described in the EAR as an "inclusive residential based community and marina, along with supporting commercial businesses." Plans for the remaining parcels of land will be submitted to DPNR for review separately, but so far include "cluster housing" units, estate lots, the refurbishing of existing condos in the area and the rebuilding of the Inn at Mandahl Restaurant. The 87-slip marina is slated for the salt pond, and requires the removal of 16,210 square feet of mangroves, which has raised concerns for the areas residents.
"There is a requirement that for every mangrove pulled up, two must be planted in its place, but they are also planning to re-dredge the marina another 12 feet and there are concerns about whether the mangroves will even grow in those depths," said Anna Francis, a Mandahl resident and one of the founding members of the Friends of Mandahl organization.
Representatives from the National Marine Fisheries Service, along with Fish and Wildlife under DPNR, recently took a tour of the area and "requested that the applicant avoid disturbance to the mangroves in the southwest quadrant of the basin," according to the EAR. The original plans included the removal of 25,008 square feet of mangroves, but a "mangrove mitigation plan," which includes a mangrove planted walkway, has since been put in place, the report said.
Community members said they were also concerned about whether the developers will provide access to the beach for local residents, and questioned what plans are being put in place to ensure that the proposed housing units — which range in height from one to three stories — don't block the view for nearby homeowners.
About a year ago, Francis received CZM approval to set up an eco-camp — which will consist of a campsite and community center for students — on two acres of land near the beach. But the development's septic system is expected to sit adjacent to the camp, and the proposed housing units will cut out the view of the beach and salt pond, Francis said Sunday. The addition of hundreds more residents to the area will also bring around more traffic, she said.
While some of the land slated for development is privately owned, a majority of it is being leased by the V.I. government. The original lease — 99 years at $500 a year — was executed by the Legislature in 1964 between the government and Hans Lollick Corp. and allows for the development of a marina, town center and housing community on about 24 acres of land. Pursuant to the lease, roads for a subdivision on the hillside surrounding the salt pond were cut back in the mid-1990's, residents said.
The lease was turned over to Mandahl Holdings in 2005, which has been reinforcing the roads for the subdivision, and replacing the old concrete roadways with asphalt, according to the documents accompanying the EAR.
Meanwhile, the Friends of Mandahl are also being backed by some of the area's younger residents, such as 16-year-old Sean LaPlace, who has been circulating a petition calling for the removal of the stone jetty surrounding the pond — which was created in the late 1960s after the original lease was approved — and demanding that the beach be turned back over the community's residents.
"This is our beach, and it was willfully and wrongfully stolen from us," LaPlace said. "We demand it back. Once the stones — which have caused massive erosion from here to Hans Lollick — have been removed, then the salt pond can be restored. This little 30-foot stretch of sandy beach we have left is definitely not enough."
LaPlace plans to present the petition to the Senate and other government officials before a CZM hearing for the proposed development is scheduled. Mandahl residents also pledged to pack the hearing — slated sometime in the next few months — and make sure their concerns are heard by DPNR officials.
Back Talk
Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
