Members of the public have until April 30 to weigh in on a proposed zoning change to allow a trucking and heavy equipment company to relocate to a site in a largely undeveloped area in Estate Adrian on St. John.
Maxentius Griffith and John Griffith of St. John Maintenance and Water Delivery have applied to change the zoning on Parcel #17 D-5 Estate Adrian from R-1 (low-density residential) to B-3 (scattered business) They plan to use the 0.83-acre site to construct a storage and maintenance facility for their fleet of water trucks, dump trucks, and other heavy equipment as well as to provide office space for administration of their business.
At an online hearing held by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources on Monday afternoon, the Griffiths said they bought the property in 2017 from Gilbert Sprauve for that purpose. (Sprauve provided them access from the estate road through his property to the site.) In the meantime, they have rented space for their vehicles at various locations, most recently at 29-1 Susannaberg near the St. John Concrete plant.
Attorney Jennifer Jones presented their application and explained that the company fulfills a critical need by supplying water delivery to residents and businesses that are not served by the public water system. She said the company wants to be ready “and able to expand for the long-term capacity” as St. John continues to develop.
The company’s fleet currently includes “three to four water trucks” and “three to four dump trucks,” according to the Griffiths.
Jones said that the company will primarily use the property for storing and maintaining their vehicles which only move on a “as-needed” basis. During the day, the water trucks are out making their rounds while the other equipment is usually based at construction sites around the island.
The site under consideration is located nearly one thousand feet to the south of Centerline Road within a large area of undeveloped land in Estate Adrian. The only nearby development on that side of Centerline Road is the George Simmons housing community built in the 1980s.
Jones said the Griffiths’ property is about 40 feet from the boundary of one of the houses in that community, but the maintenance building will be located at least 100 feet from that neighbor. The Griffiths said their property would be fully fenced, and the building would be screened by vegetation.
Only one resident of the nearby housing community attended the hearing. Tequasi Hendricks, who resides on the hill above the site, asked whether the Griffiths plan to install their own sewage treatment facility. Jones said they would.
Hendricks also questioned whether daily activity of heavy equipment would cause instability to the surrounding properties. Jones said that it would not. The property is in a low-lying area, Jones added, and the developers intend to follow all the regulations to minimize erosion and assure proper storm drainage.
The more troubling issue is whether spot zoning for a commercial trucking business should be permitted in an area that is designated as residential. In 2024, one property owner proposed a zoning change that would allow him to construct 88 units of affordable housing in Estate Adrian. That request was signed into law as Bill No. 35-0281 in Aug. 2024.
The public has until April 30 to send comments regarding the proposed rezoning application CCP-0011-26 to DPNR officials. Emails may be addressed to leia.laplace@dpnr.vi.gov. Following that, DPNR planners have 30 days to present a report to the commissioner. Once the commissioner has signed off, the rezoning request may be sent to the V.I. Legislature for approval.
