The V.I. Legislature approved a Coastal Zone Management Permit allowing St. Thomas’ Compass Point on the southeast side of Benner Bay to add two more docks with 46 new slips to its existing stock of 116 slips, in session Thursday.
All 15 senators voted in favor of the permit. "I’m satisfied with the mitigation plan they have done for the marina, and an environmental assessment report was done," said Sen. Nereida "Nellie" O’Reilly, before declaring her support for the measure.
The new permit also covers an existing 488-foot long intake line, bringing it into legal compliance. And it allows installation of channel navigation. Work is expected to cost about $750,000 and take two years. The permit allows the marina to occupy 203,170 square feet of submerged land.
The 20-year permit’s fee is $40,000 annual cost for the first three years, then increases to $61,000 per year.
The St. Thomas CZM Committee approved the permit and Senate approval finalizes the process.
In other land-use matters, the Legislature unanimously approved two spot rezonings: One is for Trans-Caribbean Diary Corp rezoning Remainder of Parcel No. 7-1 Estate St. Joseph and Rosendahl and Parcel No. 3A Estate Lovenlund, St. Thomas, from R-3, residential medium density, to B-2 Business secondary/neighborhood) with variances for agriculture, crops, fruits, an other agricultural and dairy variances.
The company, which does business as St. Thomas Dairies and was established in 1963, has asked to change the zoning, and for the several variances, to make improvements that include opening a new convenience store, starting a farmers market and creating a sculpture garden.
The other was for Jay Knoepfel to rezone parcel nos. 19-2-101 and 102 Estate Smith Bay, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 East End Quarter St. Thomas, for a use variance to the R-2, residential, low-density one and two family zoning.
The Legislature also approved two leases of government land:
- Parcel No. 89 Remainder Subbase, St. Thomas, consisting of about 142,200 square feet , with a 3,200 square foot two story steel building, for Chevron to store and market bulk petroleum, at $13,983 rent per month;
- Parcel No. 86 Subbase, St. Thomas, renewing the lease of generator sales and maintenance company MLC Holdings for two steel buildings, one wooden structure and a parking lot, of about 16,152 square feet, at a rent of $3,446 per month.