Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill ......Cul de Sac Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac, September 9, 2014

Development plan SXM – September 2012

Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac

Public Hearing


Welcome by the initiator of this public hearing

Minister Maurice Lake:

Ministry of Public Housing,

Spatial Planning, Environment

and Infrastructure

On behalf of Minister

Lake we welcome you at this

meeting to discuss the

Preliminary Draft Development

Plans: Cay Hill- Little Bay &

Cul de Sac

Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac, September 9, 2014


Welcome by the hosts of this meeting

• Louis Brown: Acting Secretary General VROMI

• Emmalexis Velasquez: PR officer VROMI

• Thijs Sommers: Project Leader VROMI

Slide 3 of 54 Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac


Agenda

• General explanation about the Development Plans

• Topics Preliminary Draft Development Plans:

• Infrastructure

• Tourism and recreation

• Commercial and public facilities

• Residential

• Agriculture

• Nature and landscape

• Cultural history and archeology

• General remarks and Preliminary Draft Map

Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plan Simpson Bay, February 25, 2014 Slide 4 of 54 Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac


Purpose of a Development Plan

• Legal framework for possible future development

• To designate and/or reserve land for desired use

• To prevent undesired development

• To offer legal security to residents about future development

It‟s not an „Action Plan‟; it‟s a framework plan

And, we will make it in consultation with you

Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plan Simpson Bay, February 25, 2014 Slide 5 of 54 Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac Slide 5 of 55


How does it work?

A Development Plans contains:

A map with zoning designations;

Regulations: land use

and building regulations;

Elucidation: what, why and how



Scope of a Development Plan

• It is a framework plan: reserve space in terms of zoning with a

scope of 10 years

• Not an action plan, a development plan does not include:

• Maintenance policies

• Detailed designs of roads, public facilities etc.

• Above mentioned issues are also important, but should be

addressed in other plans/ policies with a different scope



Process to follow

September 2012: Points of

Departure (presentation on gov.

website)

February 2013: from starting

points to development plan

(presentation on gov. website)

Tonight: Public Hearing Preliminary

Draft Development Plan



Goal of this Public Hearing

Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plan Simpson Bay, February 25, 2014

Public Hearing of the preliminary draft development plans as

prescribed by the National Ordinance on Spatial Development

Planning (Article 4.1)

• Everyone can express their views and concerns regarding this

preliminary draft development plan

• The outcome of this public hearing will be taken into account and

the draft development plan will be put on public review

accordingly

One combined presentation about two separate preliminary

draft development plans, namely Cay Hill- Little Bay and Cul de Sac

Slide 9 of 54 Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac Slide 9 of 55


2ᶰᵈ public meeting recap

Some of the issues discussed:

• Traffic congestion and new road links

• “Village centers”

• Emilio Wilson Estate

• Flooding issues/ water management



Preliminary Draft Development Plans

Main topics:

• Traffic



• Residential

• Agriculture

• Nature and landscape





Main topics:

• Traffic



• Residential

• Agriculture

• Nature, landscape and water




Traffic

• “Traffic” zoning designation for

existing main roads

• “Traffic” zoning designation for

new main roads: Link 2, Link 4,

Link 6, Link 7 based on

comprehensive road network

plan (1994)

• Secondary roads are part of the

underlying zoning designations



Traffic, Link 2

• Traffic zoning designation for Link 2: connection from Zagersgut

Road to L.B. Scott Road, to relieve the junction of Churchill

Roundabout

• Below: draft design Link 2



Traffic, Link 6

• Link 6: Connection from Cul de Sac to Dutch Quarter

• The eastern part, will lead from the Bethlehem Estate to

Waymouth Estate. This section consists of a new road in the

adjacent Development Plan of Dutch Quarter;

• the road connection continues over the hill, to LB Scott Road,

along the existing Mildrum Road, which needs to be upgraded



Traffic, Link 6

• In the development plan: reserve space of 30 meters for Link 6 for

further detailing



Traffic, Link 7 and Link 4

• Link 7: parallel road/

alternative to L.b. Scott

Road; connects with

existing road network in

St. Peters in the north

and links up with Link 4

and Link 2

• Link 4 is an upgrade and

extension of existing

G.A. Arnell Rd.

(old Cake House Rd.)




Main topics:

• Traffic



• Residential

• Agriculture





Tourism and recreation

• Zoning designation “Recreation- Stay over tourism”, for resorts

including associated facilities

• Solitary hotels and guesthouse: part of other land use

designations, mainly “Center” areas



Tourism and recreation

• Land use designation for touristic development west of Little Bay

pond (based on existing planning permit)

• Land use designation for additional touristic development south

of Little Bay Pond, conditional to certain requirements: e.g. public

accessibility of the beach

• Zoning designation “Recreation- Beach” in order to preserve the

beach (translation of Beach Policy)




Main topics:

• Traffic



• Residential

• Agriculture





Commercial and public facilities

• Proposed “Commercial Centre” in the area around Churchill

Roundabout , as far as the planned Link 2

• Central location, important infrastructural node, accessibility will

be further improved by means of Link 2




• Cluster of public/social facilities and related functions in a green and

suburban setting around Welgelegen Road

• Facilitated by zoning designation for sports, social, mixed and

commercial functions




• Cluster of (secondary) schools in

Cul de Sac area; existing schools

are facilitated by “Social” zoning

designation

• Concentration of schools adds to

congestion in the Cul de Sac area

• Strive for a better spatial

distribution of (secondary) schools

in the future, to be facilitated in

terms of zoning in other plan areas




• Reserve space for “Village Heart”: commercial-, public functions

and recreational space centralized around proposed nodes;

• Stimulates social cohesion and the quality of life, and will

contribute to limiting traffic movements

• Facilitated within “Centre” zoning designation



Preliminary Draft Development Plan Simpson Bay

Main topics:

• Traffic

• Airport



• Residential





Residential

• Three different kind of residential zoning designations:

• Category 1: W -1: < 50m

• Category 2: W - 2: > 50m

• Category 3: W - U „To be detailed‟



Residential

• W-1 “Residential-1”: lower lying areas (< 50 meter altitude)

• No minimum lot size

• Maximum building density of 40%

• Maximum building height of 10m.



Residential

• W-2 “Residential-2”: higher areas (> 50 meter altitude)

• Minimum lot size and maximum building density based on

elevation and slope of the area (translation of Hillsides Policy)

• Maximum building height of 6,5m



Residential

• W-U “Residential- to be detailed”

• For large areas not yet built, without a planning permit, but

that might be developed in the future

• Subdivision plan has to be made by the developer and to be

approved by the Minister of VROMI based on the criteria of the

Development Plan (access, water management, etc.)



Residential

General regulations:

• All types of residential use are in principle allowed as long

as they comply with building regulations

• No commercial activities allowed except from home-based

occupation such as architect or administration and small

guesthouses, bed and breakfast

• Parking regulations: minimum of one parking space per dwelling

plus one additional parking space for every two bedrooms

• Existing rights such as irrevocable planning permits

will be respected



Overview residential areas Cay Hill- Little Bay



Overview residential areas Cul de Sac




Main topics:

• Traffic



• Residential

• Agriculture





Agriculture

• Small scale agriculture in principle allowed in every zoning

designation, also encouraged for (temporary) use of empty lots

• Exemption can be granted for livestock farming, under certain

conditions, the farm must not disproportionately affect the

residential and living environment of the adjacent lands



Agriculture

• Area in Reward designated specifically for agricultural purposes,

is partially already in use as such

• For livestock and/or an agricultural station




Main topics:

• Traffic



• Residential

• Agriculture





Nature, landscape and water: Little Bay Pond

• Little Bay Pond: important for water

management (stormwater buffer) and

ecology.

• Zoning designation of

“Water- Natural value” for the pond and

“Nature” for shores (mangroves)



Nature, landscape and water: green hills

• Preserve higher slopes of

green hills, also within the

adjacent Development Plan

Hillside Conservation Areas

• Because of landscape and

ecological value, buffer for

rainwater and prevention of

erosion



Nature, landscape and water: Water management

• In the development plans various measures regarding the

water management

• Regulations for: flood prone areas, runoff water, natural gutters

and water retention sites

Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plan Simpson Bay, February 25, 2014 Slide 40 of 54

Flooding of Emilio Wilson Estate in 2005Area at risk of flooding (Unesco-IHE, 2006)Un

Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac Slide 39 of 55



• Regulations for flood prone areas: minimum elevation of ground

floor height




• Regulations for run-off water: water management plan one of

the criteria for new subdivisions in the areas zoned as

“Residential - to be detailed”

• Focus on retention/storage of water instead of fast discharge


Example of on-site water retention

provisions (Planning Department

Grand Cayman)




• Protection of natural gutters by means of double zoning

“Water management”

• Space reservation for water detention sites by means of double

zoning “Water management”: Ball Park and Emilio Wilson

Estate




• Water detention site: to manage water quantity, protect lower

laying areas against flooding

• No permanent water, only limited period of time during extreme

rainfall, other use during normal circumstances


Proposed detention sites: Emilio

Wilson Park and Ball field

(Unesco -IHE, 2008)

Examples of detentions sites in use as park/ public space and sports field in

respectively USA and Japan (Pennsylvania environmental found on

http://www.stormwaterpa.org/basin_retrofit/index.html, 2014

and Rijkswaterstaat, Riza, 2006)




Main topics:

• Traffic

• Airport



• Residential

• Agriculture





Cultural history, monuments

• Designated monuments are protected

via the Monument Ordinance and

marked on the map of the Development

Plan (awareness function)

• Remnants of Ebenezer Plantation and

Mary‟s Fancy Plantation: could be

restored/developed into a small park

close to and supplementary to the

proposed “village hearts”, within the

“Green- Park” zoning designation



Cultural history, monuments

• Remnants of sugar plantation complexes

Industry and Rockland/ Golden Rock on

property known as Emilio Wilson Estate

• Lower part zoned as “Green- Park”, allows

for activities such as market/ fair and

associated facilities (e.g. restaurant)

• Area of 6 ha. adjacent to St. Johns Estate

reserved for low density development

(approx. 15 dwellings) within “Residential-

to be detailed” zoning designation

• Space reservation for Link 7 within

“Traffic” zoning designation

• “Nature” zoning designation for area

above Link 7 within adjacent development

plan Hillside Conservation areas



Archeological value

• Double zoning with Value- Archeological:

• For areas with a expected high archeological value, such as locations of

former plantations

• Development might only be allowed if the archeological value is not at stake

• Evaluation by VROMI specialist; field research and preservation of artifacts

might be required in some occasions

• The Minister may entirely or partly remove the Value- Archeological zoning

from the map if, on the basis of archaeological investigation, no

archeological values were found to be present.




Main topics:

• Traffic



• Residential

• Agriculture



• General remarks and Preliminary Draft Map



General remark: existing situations

What if existing situation (building and/or usage, or building permit)

is different from the Development Plan?

-> Situation can be maintained, if:

• it was legally put there, and;

• it was already there before publication of Draft Development plan



General remark: preparatory resolution

• Preparatory resolution “Hillside Areas” is in effect for all the areas

in Sint Maarten above the 50 meter altitude, which includes a

significant part of the Cay Hill- Little Bay and Cul de Sac

Development Plans

• Building and/or civil work permits might only be issued if they

comply with the Development Plans in preparation

• Information is available on the government website:


Development plan SXM – September 2012Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plan Simpson Bay, February 25, 2014 Slide 51 of 54 Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac Slide 51 of 55


Preliminary Draft Map Cay Hill- Little Bay

Slide 52 of 54 Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac Slide 52 of 55


Preliminary Draft Map Cul de Sac



What is next?

Public Review of the Draft

Development Plans.

Everyone is invited to review and

submit their written objections

(if any) to the Minister of VROMI

Will be announced through the local

news media shortly, stay tuned!



Thank you for your attention

Questions, comments?

This presentation will be uploaded to:

www.sintmaartengov.org > Ministry of Public Housing,

Spatial Planning, Environment & Infrastructure >

Zoning/ Development Plans

Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plan Cay Hill-Little Bay and Cul de Sac Slide 55 of 55

Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill ......Cul de Sac Public Hearing Preliminary Draft Development Plans Cay Hill- Little Bay & Cul de Sac, September 9, 2014

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