Preliminary work on the rebuilding of the former Yacht Haven Hotel and Marina property at Long Bay is proceeding, with local firm Paradigm Design Inc. conducting background studies and site analysis.
Amalie Parrott, spokeswoman for the new owners, PMR Realty Group, Long Bay Partners, confirmed that the St. Thomas architectural firm is involved in the project. Paradigm worked on the renovation of Coral World and recently won a V.I. Port Authority award to design improvements for the Charlotte Amalie waterfront area in a joint venture with Yssis Group.
Jose Ortega of Paradigm declined to discuss details of the Long Bay work. He referred other questions to Parrott, who said more information should be available next month.
The owners will need a major Coastal Zone Management permit just to raze the existing derelict hotel, a process that requires public hearings. CZM staff said they have discussed the process with company representatives, but the formal application has not been filed yet.
Likewise, Long Bay Partners has met with the West Indian Co. Ltd., which owns adjoining property, and with the League of Women Voters, which has for years played a role of watchdog over island development.
League president Erva Denham said discussions have been very general so far and have centered on the organization's hopes for a coordinated effort to beautify the harbor area in general – a hope bolstered by the fact that Paradigm is playing a role in both the downtown project and the adjoining Long Bay area.
She added that the League's recommendation has always been that the landfill created at Long Bay when WICO dredged the harbor in the 1980s should be used for a public park.
The Long Bay development is one more piece of the plan that the governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation and Community Development is formulating, Denham said. In forming the commission more than a year ago, Gov. Charles Turnbull appointed representatives from several community organizations, including the League, and charged them with recommending ways to improve the downtown area.