A public dispute between Government House and Senate leadership over a proposed rezoning of nearly 16 acres in Estate Beeston Hill on St. Croix intensified Wednesday, with Senate President Milton Potter pushing back against suggestions that lawmakers altered or weakened safeguards tied to the governor’s version of the bill.
The measure did not come before lawmakers Monday as initially expected, following a clarification from Government House stating that the version of the bill under legislative consideration was not the same proposal Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. transmitted earlier this year.
According to Government House, the governor’s proposal would rezone approximately 15.9 acres from R-1 (Residential Low Density) to B-2 (Business Secondary Neighborhood), but with permanent restrictions limiting development to a 24-unit clustered residential project on three to four acres, along with designated green space, a playground, and an outdoor meeting area. Any construction beyond that housing project would require express legislative approval, and those restrictions would run with the land in perpetuity.
Speaking earlier this week, Bryan described his proposal as a compromise amid years of opposition from nearby residents concerned that a zoning change could ultimately allow commercial development inconsistent with the surrounding neighborhood.
“The owner’s argument is that he just wants the zoning to boost the land value,” Bryan said. “My legislation gives him what he wants — the zoning change — but requires him to go back to the Legislature to build anything else but housing.”
Government House suggested the version moving through the Legislature did not include those safeguards.
But in a statement issued Wednesday, Senate President Milton E. Potter rejected any implication that the Legislature had altered or removed protections.
Potter clarified that what the Legislature received in October 2025 was a rezoning application from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources — not a formal bill submitted by the governor. As is standard practice, the Office of the Senate President forwarded that application to legal counsel, who drafted it into bill form, according to Potter. The draft was designated Bill No. 36-0200 and assigned to the Committee of the Whole.
“What Governor Bryan did submit, on Feb. 9, 2026, was a proposed amendment to add two sections to the bill,” Potter stated. He said that amendment was forwarded to legal counsel for proper drafting and will be brought before the full body for consideration. If approved, it would be incorporated into the original bill.
“To suggest that the Legislature acted improperly, removed safeguards, or in any way subverted the Governor’s intent is not only unfair, but also simply wrong,” Potter said in his statement, adding that the 36th Legislature has followed appropriate procedural steps in accordance with its rules.
The Beeston Hill rezoning is now scheduled for a legislative hearing on March 16, where supporters and opponents are expected to testify.
The parcel has been the subject of repeated rezoning efforts over the past four years. In 2022, lawmakers approved a similar measure allowing business use, but Bryan vetoed it in 2023, citing concerns about special interests and community opposition. Residents have consistently argued that changing the zoning designation could lead to increased traffic, drainage issues, and commercial activity out of character with the residential area.
The Division of Comprehensive and Coastal Zone Planning within DPNR previously recommended against rezoning the property, noting that financial considerations — including arguments that B-2 zoning would increase the land’s appraised value — are not, by themselves, grounds for a zoning change.
