Once more, the controversial Summer’s End Marina planned for Coral Bay on St. John is facing a serious setback, according to David Silverman, president of Save Coral Bay.
On May 20, the Coastal Zone Management Commission informed Silverman that the CZM permit for the development (also known as the St. John Marina) is “null and void.” Silverman’s organization, Save Coral Bay, has led the fight against the project for nearly a decade.
The history of the permitting process for the marina is long and complex. (A brief summary with links is presented at the end of this article.) Essentially, based on a decision by the Board of Land Use Appeals in 2017, a permit consolidating two prior separate permits (for the land and water portions of the development) was signed into law by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. on Dec. 31, 2020.
“According to the express terms of the permit, which reflect the requirements of the Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Act and the CZM Rules and Regulations, construction activity under the approved permit was required to commence within 12 months of permit issuance,” said Silverman. “If it did not, then the permit would automatically expire and become null and void unless the applicant requested an extension ‘for good cause,’” he continued.
Summers End Group did not commence construction during 2021 or in the following years, and the developers never asked for an extension of the permit, Silverman said.
Jean-Pierre Oriol, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, confirmed that Summers End Group did not apply for an extension. However, under the restrictions outlined by the Board of Land Use Appeals, the developers were not allowed to begin construction until all of the permits were in place, Oriol said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which must approve the project, has not yet issued a permit.
The law does allow Summers End Group to request that the permit be reinstated, Oriol said, provided that they can demonstrate that good cause exists for granting such extension. “SEG is in communication with the government of the Virgin Islands on progress they are making regarding their [Army] Corps permit,” he added.
Both Oriol and Silverman acknowledged that the St. John Committee of the Coastal Zone Management Board would have to approve this request to allow an extension of the permit.
The Summers End Group has made modifications to the marina plan in response to numerous environmental concerns raised by the Army Corps and other federal agencies.
But Silverman maintains that time has run out. “Permits are not good forever, and the permit ratified for the Summer’s End Marina in 2020 was based on environmental conditions, project plans, and mitigation proposals in effect at that time,” he said. “All of those factors have changed and it is entirely proper for DPNR and CZM to require a fresh review of the proposed project if, and only if, the applicant can demonstrate good cause for failure to request an extension over a period of four years.”
“If there is no ‘good cause’ for this failure, then an extension of a long expired permit should not be granted,” Silverman continued. “Summers End Group should present their current project plans, mitigation plans, economic models, and other associated information to the St John CZM Committee in a public hearing, and the project should be freshly reviewed, considering that the prior review was performed eleven years ago. This is what the law requires.”
The Source reached out for comments to Chaliese Summers, managing partner of the Summers End Group, but did not receive a response by press time.
In general, the community supports the idea of a marina in Coral Bay, but many have said they found Summers End’s size to be overwhelming.
Others have objected to the location of the marina on the lee shore of Coral Harbor, where it is likely to be affected by storms. Save Coral Bay recently published a photo showing how six boats broke loose from their moorings during Tropical Storm Ernesto in 2024 and were carried by wind and waves onto the lee shore of the harbor; if the marina had been built, the boats would have collided with the docks and caused damage.
Other opponents have said the island’s infrastructure is insufficient to support a marina of Summers End’s size in Coral Bay. Coral Bay does not have municipal facilities to generate electricity, manufacture potable water, or process sewage and solid waste. Fresh water, fuel, and supplies would need to be trucked in from Cruz Bay, eight miles away, while waste products would need to be carried out. Centerline Road, known for its curves and its potholes, could not safely support the additional traffic, they say.
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The marina has faced opposition since it was first presented to the public in 2014. After multiple issues caused the V.I. Senate to reject legislation enacting the plan, the Legislature approved it in December 2020.
For an even deeper dive into the history of the Summer’s End controversy, click here for a detailed timeline produced by Save Coral Bay.
