New Developments Highlight St. Croix’s MEH Corridor

 New Developments Highlight  

    St. Croix’s MEH Corridor 

M.A. Dworkin

     St. Croix - Let’s not put the last nail in the coffin of the current STX economic slowdown just yet. If there’s one thing we know about good old Santa Cruz, she will rise like the phoenix just when we think all hope is gone. Be ye storms, hurricanes, federal investigations, whatever the forces throw at us, the Big Island has learned to weather them all. It will inevitably stand back up on its strong sea legs and proclaim to the world: We are St. Croix! We are still here! We are still strong! And our people will always stand together in the face of adversity!  

     The proof of the pudding is the enormous burst of construction activity running along the Melvin Evans Highway (MEH) heading east into Sunny Isles. Private enterprise is alive and well! Construction jobs are plentiful and several new buildings are in various stages of coming to life, bringing new retail and commercial ventures to that part of the island. 

     Here’s what the St. Croix Times has learned so far: 

     Across from Home Depot, next to the spanking new AutoZone retail shop, currently under construction, is the Family Wellness & Health Center. This facility is designed to be sustainable - equipped with solar power and a cistern. It will house a 24/7 gym, spa services like massage therapy, facials, and chiropractic services. There will also be Physical Therapy and Mental Health services. This beautifully designed structure will also offer one or two new retail shops for rent.

     Next to the Family Wellness & Health Center, where a huge plot of land is being cleared going west on MEH, which will complete the building on the vacant lots adjoining Home Depot’s acreage, (and no, no, it is not, as being sarcastically rumored, through the Coconut Telegraph, the new Paul E. Joseph Stadium, fully constructed, transformed and magically relocated) but none other than a giant medical center and office building. Being built on this huge lot is a two or three-story edifice that will add to the growing number of clinic-like medical services that seem to be popping up on all parts of the island, most likely due to the continuing problems at JFL.

     Next to AutoZone, going east, is a vacant 14-acre stretch of wooded land that has recently been purchased by an independent investor for his stated initial purpose to build housing and quite possibly some commercial buildings on the land. But the insider talk is, this investor might be interested in selling the rights to this land to someone who has a bit more patience to deal with the various zoning, licensing, material and construction hurdles, et al, to get such an enormous project off the ground and bring it to fruition. Blue Sky Realty is handling the property. But at least this is a prime stretch of real estate that is starting to move in the right direction of becoming “live” with residential and/or commercial activity.

     Still moving along MEH on the same side of the highway, next to this recently sold 14-acre plot, is the Marco St. Croix building, which is well under way to become offices and facilities for one of the Big Island’s premier entrepreneurs and well-known community figures, Shawn Baptiste, and his highly successful company. Marco St. Croix, Inc.  Mr. Baptiste, whose interests run from local trucking, hauling, water delivery to infrastructure construction, and marine and supply vessel operations, along with his Giga Records & Entertainment company, has landed a premier spot along the budding MEH corridor. His building is to be two-stories, with a good deal of it on its way to completion. It will house seven of Marco’s offices on the first floor and seven Marco offices on the second floor. There will be a water treatment plant on the grounds and a water distribution center for the many other water delivery services on the island. Kudos to Marco for investing heavily into STX’s future!    

     Moving along down to the Sunny Isles stoplight, of course, we all know that Wendy’s has added a second takeout lane for its iconic burger and fries joint, and we are all very grateful to finally put an end to those late night, long-line, waits to get our weekend Wendy’s fix. 

     Across from Wendy’s, and under the same ownership as Wendy’s, as we all know by now, is the new Church’s Texas Chicken, which has delivered a good crispy bird. But beware, devotees have taken to swamping Church’s parking lot on 2 for Tuesdays. Yet,  despite the lines, the chicken is worth the wait, especially at a 2-for-1 price.

     So, moving past the stoplight, across the street from Church’s, in the old H&H spot, is rising up a beautiful 2-story medical and retail build-out that looks to be of a world-class design, constructed by a stateside company, with developers that seems to have a touch-of-class to their approach to conducting business on the Big Island.

     Okay, so with all this new construction going on, please let’s not call the economic play on STX down and out just yet. Least we  forget, the St. Croix Refinery (right off the MEH corridor) is making big waves in Washington for an eventual restart. Such an economic boost would set the down-and-out naysayers right on their ear. 

     The Big Island is bound to surprise everyone. Can you hear her breathing the fire of determination? Listen closely. She’s bound and determined to rise up like she has in the past and regain her glory days. The years when everyone wanted to trip the light fantastic on St. Croix. 

     Just watch and see, the racetrack will somehow get built, the economy will come roaring back, and you’ll be able to place your bets on Santa Cruz, coming around the far turn, riding fast at the top of the Caribbean pack once again. 

     Ah, yes, STX - the place to be, the rough-cut jewel of the Caribbean Sea!