CHARLOTTE AMALIE, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands – July 7, 2015 - To gather ideas that can initiate the development of the Savanne-Downstreet Community Plan, the Enterprise and Commercial Zone Commission (ECZC), an entity of the U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (VIEDA), will host a four-day charrette this month from July 13 through July 16, 2015 at 5:30PM each day at Palms Court Harborview Hotel on St. Thomas, USVI. The residents of Savanne and Downstreet, and the general public are invited to participate.
During the charrette, panelists who specialize in various subjects that affect community and area development - in collaboration with the general public - will come together to share their ideas, opinions, and possible solutions to the challenges in the neighborhoods of Savanne and Downstreet. The community plan, which will provide a road map for the economic, social and architectural development of Savanne and Downstreet, should reflect the vision of these communities.
A consensus of the ideas and solutions from the communities is necessary to help initiate the development of the Savanne-Downstreet Community Plan.
Charrette schedule and topics each day at 5:30PM:
- Monday, July 13: “Historic and Cultural Aspects of the Town”
- Tuesday, July 14: “Environmental Impacts & Infrastructural Challenges”
- Wednesday, July 15: “Social Issues and Housing”
- Thursday, July 16: “Economic Development”
To provide attendees with information about the charrette process and answer questions Nadine T. Marchena Kean, the director of the ECZC; and Raheem Smith, enterprise zone specialist, will also be present.
The Charrette Center, Inc., describes a typical charrette as “an intensive, multi-disciplinary week-long design workshop designed to facilitate an open discussion between stakeholders of a development project. A team of design experts meets with community groups, developers and neighbors over a period from 3-4 days to 2 weeks long, gathering information on the issues that face the community. The charrette team then works together to find design solutions that will result in a clear, detailed, realistic vision for future development.”
The ECZC assists residents and local small business owners with rehabilitating properties that are located within designated enterprise zones in the Territory. The enterprise zones in the USVI are Garden Street-Upstreet and Savanne-Downstreet on St. Thomas, and Frederiksted and Christiansted on St. Croix.
For more information, please contact Nadine T. Marchena Kean at (340) 714-1700, ext. 256; or Raheem Smith at ext. 253. To learn more about the ECZC or the VIEDA, visit www.usvieda.org.
About the United States Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority. The U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (VIEDA) is a semi-autonomous government agency that was created on February 1, 2001. It is responsible for the promotion and enhancement of economic development of the U.S. Virgin Islands, namely St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John. The VIEDA assumes, integrates and unifies the functions of these four entities: Economic Development Commission, Virgin Islands Economic Development Park Corporation, Economic Development Bank and the Enterprise and Commercial Zone Commission. The VIEDA accomplishes its mission by attracting multi-national investors to the territory to establish or relocate their business in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It also provides financial assistance for new and existing small to medium-sized businesses in the Territory and assists V.I. residents and business owners with rehabilitating their properties located in blighted and distressed areas. Learn more at www.usvieda.org.
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