Virgin Islands lawmakers are divided over a proposal to rezone nearly 16 acres on St. Croix, with some senators rejecting the measure unless it is limited strictly to housing and others backing a compromise that would allow development with added safeguards.
The dispute centers on Bill 36-0200, which would change a 15.9-acre portion of Estate Beeston Hill on St. Croix from R-1, a low-density residential zone, to B-2, a business category that permits a wide range of commercial uses. The rezoning is being sought to facilitate a 24-unit clustered residential development on three to four acres of the site, but the bill as drafted would convert the entire parcel.
The debate reflects a broader tension between the territory’s need for additional housing and concerns about preserving neighborhood character, managing drainage and traffic, and adhering to the newly adopted Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan, which emphasizes limiting spot zoning. The dispute comes as St. Croix faces ongoing housing shortages and rising concerns about how new development fits within long-standing residential communities.
Under the current zoning, R-1 allows low-density residential development. B-2, by contrast, is primarily a business zone that permits numerous commercial activities. A possible compromise under discussion would rezone the property to R-3, a higher-density residential classification that still allows some commercial and institutional uses but is more restrictive than B-2.
Territorial Planner Director Leia LaPlace-Matthew told senators the Department of Planning and Natural Resources has twice recommended against the B-2 rezoning, saying the proposed 24-unit development can proceed without changing the zoning map.
“The Department of Planning and Natural Resources recommends denial of the zoning map amendment request,” LaPlace-Matthew said, adding that the project “can be accomplished using the planning and development tools currently available,” including subdivision, group dwelling permits and Planned Area Development, or PAD.
LaPlace-Matthew said the recommendation aligns with the Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan’s emphasis on limiting spot zoning, which is intended to prevent changes that primarily benefit a single property owner rather than the broader public.
Adjacent property owner David Doward, who opposes the bill, echoed that argument, telling lawmakers the proposal is not a choice between housing and no housing.
“Honorable senators, this is not a choice between housing and no housing,” Doward said. “Housing can proceed under existing residential tools already provided in Virgin Islands law.”
He urged lawmakers to consider whether it is necessary to rezone nearly 16 acres to achieve that goal. “The real question before this body is whether it’s necessary or prudent to permanently commercialize nearly 16 acres of residential land,” Doward said.
Developer representative Alicia Barnes, a former senator and former commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, urged lawmakers to move the project forward, portraying it as a needed addition to St. Croix’s limited housing supply.
Barnes said the property owner has dropped earlier concepts for a shopping center and is willing to accept an R-3 designation as a compromise that would keep the area primarily residential while allowing enough density for the 24-unit development to move forward.
She also pushed back on opposition to the project, suggesting it reflects broader concerns about who is able to develop land in established neighborhoods.
“For too long, environmental regulations and zoning laws have been used as tools to marginalize and disenfranchise Black and brown people under the guise of environmental protection,” Barnes told senators. “If an elite group of wealthy residents can prevent a property owner from developing his land today, nothing stops them from targeting any of us tomorrow.”
Several senators signaled support for the proposal but emphasized that any rezoning must include strict conditions.
Sen. Kenneth Gittens said he is prepared to back a shift to R-3 if the Legislature clearly limits what can be built and includes safeguards to protect surrounding properties. “Progress requires change,” Gittens said, adding that it appeared “y’all don’t want him to do nothing with his property — that is not an option.”
He said he is “willing to move forward with the R-3 with the safeguards in place,” as lawmakers discussed using those safeguards to bar certain commercial uses, such as bars and nightclubs, and to preserve green space on much of the site.
Sen. Marvin Blyden also called for a middle ground, saying lawmakers can both protect neighboring residents and address the island’s housing needs. “Compromise is always a good thing, and I see that we can make a compromise in terms of what we want to accomplish,” Blyden said. “We must provide housing … for our people to actually exist and thrive.”
Other senators, including Angel Bolques Jr., Hubert Frederick, Avery Lewis and Clifford Joseph, echoed that position, saying they are open to a rezoning that would allow the clustered townhouses if it is limited in scope, addresses traffic concerns through a new access road and restricts more intensive commercial uses.
At the same time, a group of lawmakers made clear they will not support the bill in its current form, arguing that broad rezoning would conflict with commitments made under the Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan and leave too many future uses undefined.
Sen. Alma Francis Heyliger said she is willing to support housing on the site but only if the legislation explicitly limits the property to residential use.
“At the end of the day, I cannot support this in its current form,” Heyliger said. “I am not going to block a housing project if it’s for housing, but I am not going to rezone a property that leaves it open ended.”
Sen. Carla Joseph raised similar concerns, noting that R-3 still permits a range of commercial and institutional uses, including medical clinics, liquor stores and nightclubs.
“Until this has a limitation for housing, I will not be supporting it,” Joseph said, adding that she would prefer tools such as variances or a Planned Area Development, which tie approvals to specific plans, densities and building heights rather than changing the zoning designation for the entire parcel.
Senate President Milton E. Potter, who chaired the Committee of the Whole hearing, said no side would get everything it wants and urged lawmakers to move toward a workable compromise. There were no votes, and amendments are expected before the bill returns for consideration.
