Vieques, Puerto Rico - Looking Forward:
A Development Strategy for the Naval Ammunition Facility
The Committee for the Rescue and
Development of Vieques, Puerto Rico
Objectives UTAP sponsored an urban planning studio in Vieques, Puerto Rico to develop a land use proposal for 8,000 acres of land occupied by the US Navy. Initial research for the development proposal was done in the Spring 1996 by graduate students of Columbia University's Urban Planning Program. The charge of the studio was to advise their client, the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques, by providing an analytical document which addressed the clients' foremost concern--the appropriate development of the western part of the island in the eventuality that it is relinquished by the U.S. Navy with the passage of the Vieques Land Transfer Act of 1994 (Barcelo Bill H.R. H3813). UTAP followed through with the completion of the document in the Fall
1996 and has continued its support of Committee for the Rescue and Development
of Vieques through participation in planning sessions and proposal collaborations.
The project was supported by Economists Allied for Arms Reduction (EcAAR)
with funding from the Miranda Foundation. Context In 1941, upon the onset of World War II, the United States took over a large portion of Vieques to install a naval base. Two bases, were established on the island, Camp Garcia and the Naval Ammunition Facility. The Naval Ammunition Facility, on the western portion of the island, serves as a storage area for ammunition, while Camp Garcia, located on the eastern portion of the island, is a site where the Navy practices bombing and amphibious maneuvers. Vieques experienced drastic changes when the U.S. Navy settled on the island. Over the years, conflicts between residents and soldiers increased and protests against the naval occupation gained momentum. Tensions between residents and the military came to a head in 1979 during a protest by the Vieques Fisherman's Association, whose livelihood was directly affected by bombing and water maneuvers on the eastern end of the island. Amidst the conflict, Governor Romero Barcelo filed a petition in Federal Court against the Navy's use of Vieques. This resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding, or the Fortin Accord, which pledged the Navy's commitment to promote economic development on Vieques in exchange for use of the island. In 1983, the U.S. Federal Government's economic development program (VEDCO)
began with an effort to attract large defense contractors to establish business
ventures on Vieques. This effort struggled and soon collapsed. Today, Vieques
is still an economically depressed area and the Viequenses are still at
odds with the U.S. Navy. Presently, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee
on National Security has agreed to consider the approval of a bill introduced
by Romero Barcelo, now Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner in Congress. Findings & Recommendations Bill HR 2159, The Vieques Land Transfer Act of 1995, requires the Secretary of the United States Navy to return 8,000 acres of land to the municipality of Vieques. Although the bill does stipulate that the land will be returned to the United States if it is not used for public purposes, no mechanism, process, or deadline has been established in the legislation to facilitate the transfer of ownership from the U.S. Navy to the municipality. This leaves the municipality with no clear path toward achieving the return of the 8,000 acres. To ease the transfer process and ensure its success, some entity must be created. After analyzing existing conditions on the island, the studio devised a proposal centered around the establishment of a community land trust and a community extension program. The land trust and the extension program would work together to form a total development process. The community land trust would exist as the administrative entity of the 8,000 acres, while the community extension program would serve as the "development arm" of the trust--providing technical assistance to the trust through research, education and training. In addition to devising the strategic proposal of the project, UTAP and the studio recognized opportunities that would evolve from the creation of the land trust and the extension program. For example, land use and the capability of physical infrastructure are key to the successful development of the 8,000 acres and management of the municipality. Future land use, however, is dependent upon the analysis of existing land and infrastructure. The Vieques Studio based such an analysis on information from maps--constructed by the studio--concerning the slope, slope sensitivity, agricultural sustainability, natural vegetation and provision of infrastructure on the island. This information, in combination with other social and economic factors identified during the course of the studio, was then used in the creation of a set of recommended land use and zoning areas for the future development of the island. The overarching goal of the Vieques project was the provision of a development strategy for the 8,000 acres of Navy inhabited land that would ensure citizen participation in the planning process and protect Viequenses from environmental, social and economic harm. |
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