More than seven years after Hurricane Irma ravaged Caneel Bay Resort, the Virgin Islands National Park has finally taken a huge step in rebuilding the destroyed property.
A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was released earlier this week, which details the requirements the future developer must adhere to when rebuilding the National Park. The timeline is rather aggressive, which is a good sign, as site visits are being held in just two weeks.
The organization chosen to develop the property will be given a maximum term of 60 years to develop 74 acres of land. The Park is looking for an individual or entity with expertise in the Caribbean Islands or similar locations. Specifically, the park is “interested in a resort design that will provide environmentally sustainable facilities and operations, be resilient to the effects of climate change, and provide positive economic, social, and cultural benefits to the people of St. John and the Virgin Islands.”
There will be no more than 166 rooms at the new resort, which is the same number of rooms Caneel Bay had prior to the storms. The redeveloped resort must adhere to the design intent of the resort when Laurance Rockefeller developed it in the 1950s. Caneel Bay was originally designed in a conscientious manner to limit the impacts it would have on wildlife, visual landscapes, the night sky and soundscapes of Caneel Bay. The new developer must create a plan that mimics that. Buildings will only be one or two stories, just like they were when the resort was open. There isn’t an indication in the RFQ regarding the anticipated nightly rate; therefore we do not know whether the new resort will be low, moderate or high-end.
The RFQ states that the developer will have to provide “greater public access” to areas like Honeymoon Beach and Caneel Beach, both of which currently have land access via the resort, as well as Little Caneel Beach. Little Caneel Beach is a small area of sand located on the western side of the dock.
The developer will have to provide access to seven hiking trails that are located in or around Caneel Bay, which include Lind Point, Water Catchment, Hawksnest and Turtle Point trails, among others.
Click here to read the Request for Qualifications in its entirety.
As I mentioned, site visits are scheduled in two weeks. Letters of intent are due December 6th. Proposals are due December 27th. Everything regarding this process is public, so we will be able to know who is trying to develop the resort. I will keep you posted on this. 🙂
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