A proposal to rezone a small residential parcel in Estate Altona & Welgunst on St. Thomas to allow a local family-owned auto repair shop to relocate there drew opposition from residents during a public hearing Tuesday.
The Property and Procurement Department is seeking to rezone Parcel No. 310, a roughly 9,115-square-foot lot, from R-3 residential medium density to B-3 business scattered so that Leaders Auto Repair can relocate from its current location at 1662 Kronprindsens Gade and construct a small garage and vehicle storage area.
Department officials said the request is intended to support a local business while cleaning up a government-owned lot that has long been used for informal storage. But residents who live next to and across from the site argued the parcel sits in a flood-prone area that drains into a nearby gut, warning that an auto repair operation there would increase the risk of oil, antifreeze and other contaminants washing into their neighborhood and local waterway.
Assistant Commissioner Vincent Richards of Property and Procurement said the government and Leaders Auto Repair are negotiating a lease of at least 10 years, possibly extending to 20 years with renewal options. Rent would be reduced during construction and rise to more than $1,000 per month once operations begin.
Richards described the parcel as underutilized and currently used for informal storage, derelict vehicles and old equipment.
“The proposed development will remediate the current conditions and replace it with a single facility and parts storage, thereby improving both functionally and visually the appearance of the subject property,” Richards said. “This rezoning request presents an opportunity to remediate a neglected parcel, support responsible and small business activity and remain compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.”
The proposal calls for a single building constructed in one phase, with an estimated three- to nine-month timeline from permitting to occupancy. The shop would operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with at least two employees on site. Richards said the site could accommodate about 10 to 12 vehicles and that all vehicles would be stored on the property behind privacy fencing.
“All owner and client vehicles will be required to be parked and stored on the subject property only,” Richards said.
Richards said environmental reviews found no flood-prone location, no endangered species and no known cultural or historic resources on the parcel. He said the lot was carved out of a larger government property to avoid a nearby gut and that the business would be required to connect to public sewer and potable water and properly store and dispose of automotive fluids. Lease provisions would allow termination for noncompliance, he said.
Residents, many of whom said they have lived in Estate Altona & Welgunst for 30 years or more, challenged claims that Parcel 310 is not flood-prone.
“Anyone who’s lived there for any amount of time, and I’ve been there 60 years, can tell you that is an active flood zone,” said Karen Johnson Hassan. “Anything in that gut goes right through into the Frenchtown gut area there by McDonald’s and right out into the waterway. It’s unacceptable what you guys are planning or trying to do. The people that live there are older. They’ve lived there for decades.”
Neighbor Kenja Baptist said that lenders have already judged the area a flood risk. “This is a copy of my flood insurance,” she told officials. “It was a requirement with our mortgage because we are in a flood zone. So what he [Richards] said, that’s not correct.”
For many residents, flooding was only part of the concern. They said that once an auto repair shop is in place, spills and improper disposal are inevitable, regardless of safeguards promised in a lease.
“I haven’t heard yet any mitigation process to stop the oil, the antifreeze and the transmission fluid going into the gut, which would eventually end up in the seawater,” said Augustine Ayala, who owns a nearby home. “I am totally against it. There is no way that you can make any guarantees, especially when it comes to oil transmission fluid and antifreeze. Antifreeze is not just a common element that goes into the ground and doesn’t do any impact.”
Others pointed to what they described as a pattern of lax enforcement, noting that derelict cars and boats have remained for years in and around the same area.
A petition submitted by residents cited public health research on living near environmental hazards and urged planners to err on the side of protecting the neighborhood.
“The study concluded that the evidence at this time is sufficient to justify the application of the precautionary principle … Enough evidence of potential harm being done exists to justify taking steps to rectify the problem and to protect the public from potentially harmful exposures,” the petition stated.
Others raised concerns about traffic on a narrow road, declining property values and the long-term impact on the neighborhood. One resident suggested the parcel could instead be developed as a children’s park.
Residents also cited a long history of dumping, derelict vehicles and abandoned boats on the property, arguing that government agencies had failed to maintain or clear the site.
Testimony also touched on Discount Trucking, a water‑truck business that operated for decades on the site under the late James Bryant. After Richards said his department had no record of a lease and described the past water‑truck operation as using the lot without a formal agreement with the government, resident Linda Carrijo said he had run his business there for nearly 30 years, delivering water and doing work for public agencies, and would never have squatted on government land.
“I’m getting emotional because Mr. Bryant died almost three years ago,” she said. “I don’t understand how all of a sudden a lease disappears, and we’re talking as though this man was running a business for almost 30 years … and he didn’t have a lease. I’m not going to allow someone to defame Mr. Bryant’s character and make it seem like he was running an illegitimate business, squatting on government property.”
Richards later apologized and said his department would use this information and search its files, and those of other agencies, for any past lease. “It’s definitely not the intention to sully anybody’s name or their memory,” he said. “Now that we have that information, we could dig into it a little bit more, take a second look, and I’ll be happy to change the record.”
Environmental officials also flagged potential issues. Rukia Andrews of the Division of Fish and Wildlife said mapping tools indicated possible presence of the Virgin Islands tree boa and identified a riverine feature near the site.
“If the rezoning does pass, we’d have to send you our protocols and things … before you can do any heavy machinery or building in the area,” Andrews said.
Mary Stiehler of the Environmental Protection Division confirmed the presence of a gut and vegetated area west and southwest of the parcel and questioned how runoff and hazardous materials would be managed, particularly given nearby water infrastructure.
May Leader, co-owner of Leaders Auto Repair, said the business has operated on St. Thomas since about 2010 at 1662 Kronprindsens Gade, near the Board of Education offices, without complaints.
“We’ve been in business for 15 years … and we never had any complaints,” she said. “We use the best compatible tools that are out there available. We do our research. We do everything that needs to be done to the proper standard.”
“We take pride in teaching not just our children, but youth in the community, and we follow proper standards for handling oil and other materials. I’m just trying to make sure you understand that some of us can do it the right way. By any means, we’re not trying to harm anyone,” Leader added.
The hearing was chaired by DPNR planning technician Gail Pagan, who said written public comments will be accepted until Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. Residents wishing to submit comments can email leia.laplace@dpnr.gov.vi before that date.
“This is an open process,” Richards said. “I just want you to understand that your opinion is greatly and deeply respected and I appreciate it.”
