Last week, I introduced you to Serenity at Francis Bay, a brand-new vacation rental located within the boundaries of the Virgin Islands National Park. I received a few emails and saw a question or two online asking how a home can be located within the Park’s boundaries. Here’s the scoop…
Let’s begin with the establishment of the Virgin Islands National Park. Laurance Rockefeller played a key role in this back in the 1950s. Wanting to preserve the beauty of the island, Rockefeller acquired 5,000 acres of land which was then donated to create the Virgin Islands National Park. When Rockefeller was going around trying to purchase land, not everyone chose to sell. So he purchased what he could around them. The Virgin Islands National Park opened in 1956.
These privately-owned parcels are called inholdings. The definition of an inholding is privately-owned land located inside the boundary of a national park. Nearly 15 percent of the land located within the Virgin Islands National Park is an inholding, according to a 2011 report from the National Park’s Conservation Association’s Center for Park Research. (It is quite possible that number has been reduced a bit over the past 14 years.)
These inholdings, despite being located within the boundaries of a national park, can still be developed. These parcels can be listed for sale and sold to a new owner. In fact, we have a few properties and vacant land currently listed for sale that are located within the Virgin Islands National Park. If you are interested in learning more or purchasing one of these properties, feel free to send me an email at jenn@explorestj.com. I am a licensed real estate agent, and I would be happy to help.
If you have been to St. John, you have most likely seen or at least driven past many of these inholdings. Peter Bay, the large, upscale neighborhood located between Trunk and Cinnamon bays, is an example of an inholding inside of the Virgin Islands National Park. When you are standing on the beach at Hawksnest and look across the bay, those are inholdings over in the hills. Serenity at Francis Bay is yet another inholding. These are just a few examples.
I hope this brief post helped answer some of your questions on this topic. Have a wonderful day everyone!
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