Homeowner rejects VI government’s $30,000 offer for easement to extend sidewalk on Sion Hill Road

ST. CROIX — The owner of a home in Estate Sion Hill has rejected a $30,000 offer from the Virgin Islands government for the taking of an easement by the authority of eminent domain to extend a nearby sidewalk and make necessary road improvements, suggesting the government should instead utilize a vacant lot across the street.

The property sits on a curve along Sion Hill Road near the entrance to Free Will Baptist Christian School. While the road leading up to the curve has been paved in both directions, the section in front of the property has massive potholes. A sidewalk parallel to the road ends when it reaches either side of the property.

Although the homeowner has declined to give up any land, the government is still in need of a permanent easement to complete its road and sidewalk project, along with a temporary easement for use during construction, according to a civil action for temporary and permanent easement the VI Department of Justice filed in Superior Court on July 12, 2022. In addition to the $30,000 offer for the permanent easement, the government has offered the homeowner $320 for temporary use of the land during the three-year construction period. The DOJ submitted a $30,320 check for deposit into the court’s registry on March 1, 2023.