While residents expressed a few concerns at Thursday’s rezoning hearing for the proposed Sirius Resort and Marina in Coral Bay, the reception was generally warm, as several testifiers thanked the developers for being forthcoming about their plans.

“I’d like to compliment you on your information sharing,” Coral Bay resident David Silverman said.

He was one of about two dozen people who attended the Planning and Natural Resources Department meeting held at the Legislature building on St. John.

Thursday’s remarks were a marked contrast to the often hostile attitude from residents who in August spoke overwhelmingly against the Summers End Group’s plans to develop at 145-slip marina on the other side of Coral Bay Harbor from the Sirius project when that project had a Coastal Zone Management hearing. While many residents said they didn’t oppose a marina, they said the Summers End one was too large. The Summers End project got its CZM permit on Oct. 1.

Since then, the joint Save Coral Bay Fund and V.I. Conservation Society as well as the Moravian Church Conference of the Virgin Islands have appealed to the territory’s board of Land Use Appeals in hopes of stopping the project.

St. Thomas architect John Woods chairs the Board of Land Use Appeals. He is also the Sirius architect, but he said after the meeting that he would recuse himself when the appeals are heard and didn’t plan to attend the appeals hearing.

The Moravian Church owns most of the land leased has leased to Sirius, which previously went by the name of TREX. One small parcel of the nearly 12-acre project is owned by the V.I. government but leased to Sirius.

Sirius first went public with its plans at an informational meeting Oct. 18 at Emmaus Moravian Church in Coral Bay.

(The developers presented maps showing the current zoning, and the proposed zoning.)

The rezoning hearing Thursday was only for a portion of the land development. As the plans stand, the entire land portion will have hotel rooms, a ballfield, parking, shops. The marina will be on the shore side.

Sirius wants rezoning for most of a parcel now zoned R-2, residential low density, and a small section of a parcel zoned W-2, waterfront industrial, to W-1, waterfront pleasure, to allow for the hotel development and parking deck. A 1.45-acre waterfront strip is already zoned W-1.

Woods said that while Sirius would have preferred to start with the marina, the permit process for that project was much longer than that for the land development.

“But both are viable independently,” Woods said.

Several testifiers suggested that rather than a rezoning, the developer be given a variance that limits the project to what the developer specified when the plans were approved. A rezoning allows for many uses beyond what the developer planned.

“There is no way of knowing if he will get the permits and the financing to start the project,” Silverman said.

However, Stuart Smith, who is the director of Comprehensive and Coastal Zone Planning at the Planning Department, said that even if the Sirius project doesn’t go forward, the variance “runs” with the property.

Some of the Sirius hotel buildings are planned to be three stories high. Coral Bay Community Council president Sharon Coldren said those three stories will be seen from the water and from across the bay.

“They can ruin the whole view,” she said, suggesting that the height be limited to two stories.

Melville Samuel, who lives at the other end of the island in Bethany, spoke at length about how St. John is turning into a “tropical playground” for rich people. He said he feared that the marina development would further raise property taxes on houses in the surrounding area. He said the natives are particularly hard hit by this problem, and often must borrow money to pay the taxes.

“Eventually people are going to say ‘I can’t take it any more’ and they’re going to leave,” Samuel said.

Samuel also said tourists visit St. John for the natural beauty, not to see what he termed over-development.

Robert O’Connor Jr., who is a principal in the Summers End marina project, said there must be a balance.

“There can’t only be preservation. There has to be commercial activity,” he said.

He said many of those complaining about the scope of the Summers End project are people who moved to St. John from elsewhere with enough money not to need the jobs he anticipates will come with both marina developments.

According to O’Connor, there are other remedies to help the property tax situation.

After Planning makes its recommendations on the rezoning permit application, it will go to the Legislature for action. Sirius also needs a CZM permit for the land-based portion of the project.

Smith said if people want to comment, they should send him email at [email protected].