Eugene Jones, executive director of the Housing Finance Authority, and Vincent Richards, assistant commissioner of the Property and Procurement Department, were at the Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance hearing on Tuesday to discuss the transfer of ownership of a tenth of an acre, a property that Sen. Ray Fonseca said was barely large enough for a house.
However, Committee Chair Sen. Donna Frett-Gregory wanted answers to big questions. She wanted to know what data the HFA had concerning the housing shortage in the territory and what plan the agency had to tackle that problem.
Jones, who has been executive director for four months, responded that the HFA hoped to have a plan of action finalized by the end of the year after some public hearings. He had no specifics about what the plan would include or how the piece of property, Plot No. 25B Hill Street, Company Quarter, Christiansted, would fit into the plan.
Frett-Gregory wanted to know how many new homes the territory needed to solve its housing shortage and what resources the HFA had to meet that demand. She said the housing shortage was an ongoing “emotional discussion” in the territory, but no one knew how bad the problem was.
Sen. Novelle Francis said the government had the habit of “throwing out the baby with the bath water” each time a new agency head came on board.
Francis made the motion to favorably approve the transfer of the property from the government to the HFA.
Although the motion was approved unanimously, Frett-Gregory said she had reservations about the lack of details and some inconsistencies concerning the size of the plot.
Francis said he anticipated an amendment when the measure was in the Rules and Judiciary Committee, requiring the HFA to submit a plan within 180 days concerning this property and others the HFA was obtaining.
“The property is in an area with the potential for urban regeneration and community engagement. We envision constructing a multi-residential complex as part of a larger plan to revitalize the community,” Jones testified.
Francis testified that the building on the property was damaged during Hurricane Hugo (1989) and was used afterward to house visiting nurses. He said it had eight rooms for visiting nurses. Jones testified that the area might be too small for many rental units.
Frett-Gregory said HFA would need to keep the property adequately cleared of debris and landscaped. She also urged the HFA to concentrate on the lease-to-own concept for Virgin Islanders. She said her mother benefitted from that concept.
In addition to Frett-Gregory and Francis, Sens. Marvin Blyden, Dwayne DeGraff, Ray Fonseca, Javan James, and Samuel Carrion attended the hearing.
