ST. JOHN — A brief meeting of the Coastal Zone Management Commission gave the green light to federal consistency determinations for two key projects in St. John.

Commissioners accepted staff recommendations to grant a federal determination of consistency for the construction of a maintenance facility for the Department of Public Works in the Susannaberg Estate.

Existing damaged structures on site will be demolished and in their place a one-story building will be constructed which will include an entrance hall, toilets and showers, as well as a mechanical room, pump room and bays for vehicles. A mezzanine will serve as a general-purpose workspace.

CZM’s approval of the project comes with several standard requirements, including guidelines for public announcements, dust mitigation and notification of appropriate agencies if cultural or historical resources are discovered on the site.

“You’re all ready to get started and launch this awesome project for St. John’s Island,” CZM Committee Chairman Adnrew Penn said after the unanimous vote in favor.

Commissioners also voted unanimously to authorize Lovango Island Holdings to amend its existing permit to install a photovoltaic power generation system on the property. According to Mark Snyder, owner of Lovango, “this took us years to implement and will allow us to reduce our diesel consumption by 70%.” He thanked commissioners for being able to expedite a decision on the initiative, citing potential looming policy changes at the federal level as a risk to the project. “Tax benefits are essential for us to be able to afford to do this, and the new administration has made it clear that they may reduce or roll back those tax benefits, which is why we needed to have this discussion in December,” Ms. .Snyder. note.

The new system will consist of multiple solar panels and a central battery storage area, and will increase the sustainability profile of the station.