Senators Asked Not To Reward Developers

Editor,

The notes below were intended to be delivered in person at the March 26 hearing.

The Department of Planning and Natural Resources does a splendid job of listing five pages of reasons why the Sirenusa rezoning request should not be granted, including reasons why granting this request would be illegal.

St. John has vehemently stated its objections to this project in three public hearings where the only pro voice was that of the developer and his employees.

So why are we here? Why hasn’t this request been thrown out?

In addition to the long list of problems made at the last meeting, I would like to make the Senators aware of the following facts:

— The group dwelling permit was issued for 40 units on the site consisting of 32 two-bedroom units and eight three-bedroom units. However, there is a current real estate listing for a four-bedroom penthouse on line.

— This listing also states that Sirenusa has a clubhouse, concierge, gym and conference rooms. March 31, 2006, a local daily newspaper quoted then Commissioner of DPNR Dean Plaskett as saying, “a planned clubhouse-gymnasium (at Sirenusa) also had not been approved.”

— In an online news forum, the developer stated “he needed to build the additional units to make the project more financially viable, but added that it was doable if he didn’t get the variance.”
Since a four-bedroom penthouse is listed on line for $2.55 million, that means he is asking for us to give him an additional profit of $17.8 million!

That is way more than financially viable — that is greed.

Please do not reward these developers in any way. In fact, all construction should be stopped until the original conditions for the group dwelling permit are met and the illegal aspects of the project corrected.

Thank you,
Pam Gaffin