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Developer: Airport shunned land swap
by The Daily Herald
Posted: Jan 28, 2008 13:59 UTC
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~ Swap would make re-routing road easier ~
SIMPSON BAY - Solving the stifling traffic congestion around the Pr incess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) terminal building is as easy as a land swap, a proposal rejected by the airport management over the past two years, says a well-known developer and owner of the adjoining former BBW property.
The comments from the developer were prompted by PJIA Operating Company PJIAE President Eugene Holiday’s statement Friday that the developers were not willing to cooperate with the airport’s bid to purchase the adjoining land to execute its master plan to re-route Airport Boulevard to alleviate the traffic congestion.
Explaining the company’s stance, a representative said the former owners of BBW cement bagging facility had made an offer to the airport board in 2005 to swap a plot of land close to the existing visitors’ parking lot for a smaller piece bordering Simpson Bay Lagoon that belongs to the airport. At present, the asphalt plant is temporarily located there.
He said the initial offer had not been accepted by the airport.
The new owners purchased the land with the intention of developing an airport hotel and marina for which the land bordering the lagoon was more suited, so they approached the airport again.
This time the offer, which still stands, is for the airport to give the 8,000 square metres of land on the lagoon to the company in exchange for 8,700 square metres next to the existing visitors’ parking lot. To hasten a decision, an offer of US $250,000 cash was added to the deal for the airport to use for constructing additional parking spaces.
If the land swap is agreed, the re-routing of Airport Boulevard will be made easier by creating a straighter road than the one currently proposed by the airport. The main road will completely bypass the terminal building, leaving the existing road to become part of the parking lot and a safe zone for passengers and visitors to traverse.
“We never received a definitive answer from Holiday about why the deal was not acceptable. We are shocked by the statement that the developers have not been cooperating. Our deal is still on the table,” the representative said Sunday.
The waterfront land is not valuable to the airport, because it will only be used for parking spaces, while the company can use it for boat slips, he added.
The land swap proposal was also presented to the Executive Council in March last year, along with plans for an underpass that would link the company with the airport terminal, eliminating the need for people to cross the road. The developers have also offered to finance the construction of this underpass.
The developers repeated their offer in a letter that was forwarded to the airport on November 12, 2007. During a subsequent meeting with the board of the airport, the developers were promised an answer by the end of January.
The developers believe that Holiday’s recent statement could be construed as PJIAE’s roundabout response to their offer, but they are still hopeful that the swap, which they see as being beneficial to the airport in particular and the island in general, will take place.
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