The Senate voted Tuesday to give the developers of Sirenusa what they want: an OK to build beyond the 40 condominium units that were originally approved.
Governor John deJongh vetoed that request 10 days ago ... but the Senate overrode the it - giving the OK for construction of an additional three buildings and seven more units,
The St John Source's story has quotes from lots of folks ... many of whom, like the former island administrator Julien Harley, didn't know what to say - they were so shocked and disappointed. A spokesman for the Governor implied the senators had not listened to what people on St. John wanted - there were 1,100 petition signatures against expanding Sirenusa's plans.
The project's developer, Carlo Marzano, told the Source the Senators had cut through what he called the BS ... to evaluate the financial and legal impact of their vote to let the development continue.
If there is a good side to this story it is that Marzano will complete the project. He'd been quoted saying he was out of money and the banks wouldn’t give him anymore unless the project was expanded with the possibility of generating as much as $10 million more in sales of units. The prospect of Sirenusa sitting unfinished is not one anyone on the island wanted. Marzano would likely have sued the VI government if he'd been stopped - which could also have stalled the project.