St. Thomas Federal Credit Union Seeks Zoning Change for Proposed New Building

If all goes to plan, the St. Thomas Federal Credit Union will be breaking ground on a new two-story, 10,000-square-foot operations center on a two-acre parcel of land just south of the Omar Brown Sr. Fire Station, according to a zoning hearing Monday for the proposed development.

The credit union, which was chartered in 1952 and has served the community for 73 years, is currently located in the historic district at 5027 Norre Gade — the Allen A. Canton Building — which has restricted the company’s ability to expand, CEO Keisha Richards told members of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources’ Division of Comprehensive and Coastal Zone Planning.

Monday’s hearing was held to request a zoning change from R-3 (residential-medium density) to B-1 (business-central business district) at the new site, Parcel No. 100-1C Estate Taarneberg, Kings Quarter, St. Thomas. The two-acre lot, located beside the fire station and across the street from Barbel Plaza, was the former site of the Warren E. Brown housing community that was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. All that remains on the property are two cisterns and a utility shed, said Richards. Previous studies have found no cultural or historical resources, endangered plants and animals, or flood issues, she said.

The move “has been in the pipeline for quite some time” Richards said, and required approval by the National Credit Union Administration, the body responsible for regulating federal credit unions, insuring deposits, and protecting members of credit unions.