Despite trying to build an environmentally-sensitive development, Bordeaux Mountain Estates LLC owner Eric Munson thinks he is being cast in a bad light.
People should consider the project on its own merits, explained Munson, who lives in New York but has been vacationing on Love City for 18 years.
“I want people to take a deep breath and to not get caught up in the emotion,” said Munson.
The developer contacted the St. John Tradewinds on March 8, the day before he and co-owner Scott Humphrey’s public hearing before Comprehensive Coastal Zone Planning officials to request a group dwelling permit to construct 16 dwelling units, a pool, a gym and ancillary service buildings on their roughly five-acre site on Bordeaux.
Accommodating Neighbors
The land-owners have already changed their plans in order to accommodate concerned neighbors, according to Munson.
“We did listen to constructive feedback and made four or five major revisions to the project,” Munson said. “We eliminated the lower road which reduced the concrete and damage to the site significantly — maybe as much as 40 to 50 percent. We’ve listened to concerns about erosion and traffic on the road.”
“We’ve met with community groups who have offered us constructive, substantive things to consider,” the developer added.
Munson contends the group dwelling permit would allow the builders to preserve green space at the site.
“We’re using the group dwelling permit to preserve 90 percent of the property,” said Munson. “We’re going to build in one section and the rest of the site will be a green belt. We’re trying to use this permit the right way.”
“We’re not trying to sneak in a 5-story apartment building with neon lights there,” the developer added. “The cluster of buildings will allow us to be much more environmentally friendly. We’re trying to preserve as much of nature as possible with the group dwelling permit.”
Problems with an illegal road on the site were the fault of the previous owner Eric Tillett, Munson explained.
“The whole issue about the road was not me,” said Munson. “The fact that there are no plans on St. John is unrelated to me also.”
Rumors about deliberately keeping the plans off-island are unfounded, according to Munson.
“All this talk about conspiracies and secrecy is not the case at all,” he said. “We’ve been waiting patiently for a couple of years to get this done.”
If the developers are not granted the group dwelling permit, the site will suffer more disturbance, explained Munson.
More Impact Without Group Permit
“Without the group dwelling permit, we’d have to spread out the development and slice up the land and put more roads in,” said the developer. “That is not what we want, that is not what our neighbors want and not what the people who will buy these want.”
Munson is ready to move ahead with the project.
“We’ve done everything asked of us,” said Munson. “We’re trying to work within the system. We want to move forward with the project.”
The developers only want what’s best for the land, explained the Munson.
“We’re good people,” said Munson. “We’re not some corporate entity that just wants to strip the land and put up a parking lot. We want to do what is best for the area.”
