The rumors are true.
“Yes, I am attempting a waterfront development,” said Brett Jefferson, a property owner on St. John since 2008. “I have the waterfront rights in front of Grande Bay.”
Jefferson preferred not to discuss any details of the project, which has been rumored to include a boardwalk, restaurant, and marina, at this time.
“I will have a full presentation with renderings within a month,” he told Tradewinds. “I’ll be sharing it with the public.”
Jefferson said St. John needs a place for boat owners and visitors to dock their boats in Cruz Bay as there are no available moorings in Cruz Bay, and National Park Service has set strict limits on the use of its dock in the Creek.
“I have a boat, and it’s a difficult thing,” he said. “For people who have commercial boats, it’s a much more difficult thing.”
The infrastructure is already in place for septic, water and electrical connections at the site in front of the Grande Bay Resort, and Jefferson said his plan includes a sewage pump out facility for boats.
Jefferson owns several units in Grande Bay and is building a home for his family on Battery Hill above Grande Bay. He runs Hildene Capital Management, a hedge fund based in Connecticut. The fund, which operates locally from an office in the Islandia Building, receives Economic Development Commission benefits and employs several St. John residents, he said.
Rumors about the development began to spread last week when an owner of a unit at Grande Bay sent an email to other condominium owners at Grande Bay after having discussed the matter with Jefferson. The email was immediately circulated on Facebook and picked up by local blogs.
Correction: In the July 25, 2016 print issue of the St. John Tradewinds Newspaper, we wrote that “a letter Jefferson allegedly sent to condominium owners at Grande Bay was circulated on Facebook and picked up by local blogs.” That statement was false. Jefferson did not send the letter. St. John Tradewinds regrets this error.
