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Megahouse Fined for Building Violations

The massive structure rising above Denis Bay on St. John.The Planning and Natural Resources Department hit Denis Bay Properties, owned by New York-based celebrity interior designer Tony Ingrao, with $10,500 in fines plus a slew of remedial efforts for violating V.I. building provisions.

According to the notice of violation, Ingrao had excavations on two parcels of adjacent park property without a permit. Additionally, an excavation exceeded the scope specified on his building permit because it was altered or elevated not in accordance with approved plans.

Ingrao also built a mechanical /electrical room on one of the parcels. In addition, he failed to get an earth change permit for one of the park parcels.

The notice indicates that Ingrao constructed a gabion and boulder retaining wall that wasn’t on the approved plan. Lastly, Ingrao was fined for “excavations affecting adjoining properties.”

The work impacted the adjacent landowner, V.I. National Park.

The house sits on a road that heads downhill from Centerline Road in Susannaberg near Paradise Lumber in the direction of the North Shore Road. On the Centerline Road end, it’s an actual road but peters out into a path.

St. John resident Vicki Bell, who lives near the Ingrao house, said until work on the house closed the path to the North Shore Road, it was frequently used by hikers.

In addition to paying the fines within 30 days, he’ll have to submit plans and applications for a building permit to stabilize the site, the drainage and retaining structures.

He has to conduct activity on the site in a manner to minimize any effects on adjacent properties, submit mitigation agreements or plans approved by the national park with regard to the impacted areas, receive approval from Planning’s Building Permits Division for any work, and repair the road within 45 days or tell DPNR in writing why the work can’t be done in 45 days.

Park Superintended Brion FitzGerald said that during May’s heavy rains, the gabion baskets installed by Ingrao on the lower part of the road slid into the park.

“It caused significant damage,” he said.

He said that a significant number of trees were removed from the upper curve of the road.

FitzGerald said in cases where land owners damaged park property, the park prefers to work with the owner to ensure the problem is fixed.

“So far he has been willing to talk with the park service,” FitzGerald said.

According to Bell, Ingrao seriously impacted the view shed along the island’s North Shore. She said Ingrao cut down trees on park property to improve his sunset view.

Bell said Ingrao bought two small existing homes, and tore all but half of one of them down to put up his house. She said that one of those houses was in the vacation villa market, but once Ingrao started construction as close to the property line as possible, renting the house was impossible and the owner sold it to him.

Ingrao did not return a message left at his New York office.

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