Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications

The Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications will meet on Wednesday, July 09, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall, to address issues related to the residential housing market from the perspective of the various Housing, Banking & Insurance invitees. The committee will engage in a discussion of various topics impacting homeownership in the Virgin Islands, including, but not limited to, construction costs, zoning and building code requirements, local and federal government policies and programs, the cost and availability of financing, the cost and accessibility of insurance, the attainability of labor, and the availability and reliability of contractors.

Invited Testifiers:
Eugene Jones, Executive Director, Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority
David Bennett, Chief Executive Officer, VI Territorial Association of Realtors
Ada Rivera, Acting Area Director, USDA Rural Development Virgin Islands
James Crites, Chairman, Virgin Islands Bankers Association
Adrienne Williams-Octalien, Director, Office of Disaster Recovery
Wayne Biggs, Chief Executive Officer, Economic Development Authority
Sandra Harty, President, Virgin Islands Insurance Association
John Woods, Chairman, Board of Architects, Engineering and Land Surveyors
Honorable Tregenza Roach, Lieutenant Governor of the Virgin Islands
Honorable Jean-Pierre Oriol, Commissioner, Department of Planning and Natural Resources