As concerned residents watch a construction project progress over sensitive V.I. National Park land, Department of Planning and Natural Resources officials are keeping a close watch on the site as well.
“We’re very much aware of the sensitive nature of the project,” said DPNR’s Director of Building Permits Bevan Smith. “We’ve been to the site and we are overseeing the work there. We’ve been on top of it.”
The construction site is located on about an acre of land at Estate Denis Bay Parcels 2-A and 2-B. The owner of the property has been identified as interior designer to the stars, architect Anthony Ingrao, who owns the Manhattan-based Ingrao Inc. with partner Randy Kemper.
While far from complete, the construction site has already raised eyebrows from North Shore Road neighbors and other residents worried about the project’s impacts on VINP resources.
DPNR officials are aware of the problems and are ready to issue a notice of violation, explained Smith.
“We have a notice of violation that we already wrote up and we just need to discuss it with [DPNR] Commissioner Alicia Barnes and have her sign it,” said Smith. “The nature of the violation is that they overstepped what was permitted and they cut into V.I. National Park land. They went beyond what is permitted.”
“Once the commissioner signs off on the violation, they’ll be served next week,” Smith said on Thursday, July 11.
DPNR officials have been working with the landowners, who have agreed to mitigate the violation, which reportedly stems from the owners trying to improve their view.
“From the survey we’ve seen, they’ve also cut into the ridge line behind the home — which is VINP land — apparently to cut off enough of it to open the view to the west, ” St. John Attorney Raf Muilenburg previously told St. John Tradewinds. “They did that with no authorization whatsoever, and in doing so they also cut down a great deal of tall trees which were 100-plus years old on park land and on neighbors’ land.”
Residents are also concerned that runoff from the project — perched on a steep slope overlooking the largely VINP land on the island’s north shore — could impact sensitive Hawksnset Bay and Gibney Beach resources.