PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs Jr. has defended recently approved high-rise building permits while acknowledging that Sint Maarten needs clearer, more consistently applied rules governing development.
At Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing, Gumbs referred to criticism of permits he approved in Maho and another hillside area. He said the parcels in question allow that type of development under the draft zoning plans.
However, he acknowledged a broader problem: many residents do not know what development is permitted in their neighborhoods, and decision-making has treated the draft zoning inconsistently.
“One reason for this may be that zoning is binding for some, but just a policy for others when approving permits,” Gumbs said. “This needs to change.”
He added that any departure from planning policy must be properly substantiated.
The minister’s remarks came with a renewed call for bids to prepare an updated zoning plan. The submission deadline is Friday, October 30, 2026.
Gumbs said the plans delivered in 2014 are now 12 years old and no longer adequately reflect development patterns or the needs of a growing country.
The new process will include public hearings and town hall meetings after the city selects a consultant.
According to Gumbs, zoning should provide certainty about what landowners can build, what residents can expect around their homes and what infrastructure government must provide.
That includes roads, drainage, wastewater systems and utility capacity.
Pressed on whether Sint Maarten needs a pause in development to allow infrastructure to catch up, Gumbs called for an honest discussion but expressed caution about stopping construction broadly.
He argued that construction supports economic activity and provides work for residents, while acknowledging that immediate employment does not automatically translate into lasting benefits.
“Are they benefiting in the 20, 30 years long term?” he asked.
Gumbs cited Cupecoy as an example of a mismatch between older planning assumptions and present development pressures. He said areas envisaged for homes with a nine-meter height limit now face very different market conditions.
The central issue, he argued, is whether permitted development is supported by adequate infrastructure.
The zoning review will therefore have to address more than building heights. It will shape where additional development can occur, which areas require protection, and how government plans the infrastructure needed to support both.
