November 9, 2024

Adventure Awaits Journeyers

Discovering the World Anew

Park Service Issues RFQ for Caneel Bay With Focus on Eco-Tourism

Park Service Issues RFQ for Caneel Bay With Focus on Eco-Tourism
Park Service Issues RFQ for Caneel Bay With Focus on Eco-Tourism
According to a map included in the RFQ package for the redevelopment of Caneel Bay on St. John, the property will consist of six zones to include Lodging (67 acres), Conservation (78 acres), Operations and Maintenance (7 acres), Interpretive/Engagement (11 acres), Day Use (5 acres), and Flexible Development (7 acres), with two areas set aside as potential sites for future community uses. (Image courtesy NPS)

The National Park Service has issued a Request for Qualifications as the first step in the redevelopment of the Caneel Bay resort on St. John as a “premier eco-destination” since it was destroyed in the twin Category 5 hurricanes of 2017.

The property had been mired in a legal dispute since 2022 when the previous leaseholder, EHI Acquisitions, sued the government over ownership of the land and its improvements. However, the V.I. District Court ruled in April that the resort and the 150 acres of prime beachfront land it sits on belong to the U.S. government and while EHI has appealed that decision to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in a case that remains ongoing, the NPS is moving ahead with the redevelopment.

“Caneel Bay overnight accommodations provide a unique publicly offered lease opportunity with stunning ocean views along the north shore coastal landscape,” Superintendent Penelope Del Bene said in a press release announcing the RFQ. “The cultural and natural resources of the area are significantly important to the local communities.”

Indeed, the storied resort — originally established by Laurance Rockefeller and Jackson Hole Preserve, Inc. as one of its “Rockresort” locations in the mid-1950s — has historically represented an early model of eco-tourist luxury accommodations, Del Bene noted. However, it has been largely shuttered since hurricanes Irma and Maria severely damaged the guest rooms and other support structures in September 2017.

The best qualified offerors responding to the RFQ, as determined by the NPS, will be asked to submit a development proposal under a subsequent Request for Proposals that is expected to be issued next summer, according to Tuesday’s announcement.

Site visits will be held on Nov. 7 and 8, and interested parties are asked to RSVP by 4 p.m. on Nov. 5, it said. The RFQ is available to view and download on the SAM.gov website. Any questions regarding the lease must be received no later than Nov. 22 via email to [email protected] or through the link here.

This map included in the RFQ package for Caneel Bay on St. John highlights areas based on their lowest (red) to highest (blue) suitability for redevelopment. (Image courtesy NPS)
This map included in the RFQ package for Caneel Bay on St. John highlights areas based on their lowest (red) to highest (blue) suitability for redevelopment. (Image courtesy NPS)

The NPS is offering what it has called an “unprecedented” 60-year lease term for 74 acres of its property — a term EHI had sought but was denied when it argued it would take that long to recoup the $100 million it would need to invest to rebuild the storm-damaged resort.

According to a map included in the RFQ package, the property will consist of six zones to include Lodging (67 acres), Conservation (78 acres), Operations and Maintenance (7 acres), Interpretive/Engagement (11 acres), Day Use (5 acres), and Flexible Development (7 acres), with two areas set aside as potential sites for future community areas.

According to the management zone descriptions, the redevelopment will attempt to reuse existing structures and infrastructure where possible, though their integrity is unknown. Additionally, “public access of day-use areas and facilities via roads and trails in this zone will be a condition of any lease(s) or concession contract(s) and coordinated with the larger Caneel Bay area redevelopment.”

The Day Use zone will be required to have public bathroom and shower facilities, picnic areas, food services, and equipment rentals for non-motorized watersports. The Conservation zone calls for reestablishing the Turtle Point and Hawksnest trails, limited expansion of pedestrian trails throughout the site, and no new development for overnight lodging or amenities.

The Flexible Development zone remains to be determined, but includes lands that were previously disturbed, such as for a landfill, and could include storage and parking, among other uses, according to the RFQ.

The Interpretive/Engagement zone is intended to ensure visitors “have an opportunity to have a national park experience by engaging with the NPS onsite, including through an NPS visitor contact station,” according to its description. “All of the archeological sites previously determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, including the plantation sugar factory complex, are located within this zone and will be subject to active NPS preservation,” it says.

“Visitors will be encouraged to learn about the site’s history through interpretation of cultural sites, including the archaic, colonial, and post-emancipation era sites.”

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