Louis E. Brown Senior Villas
St. Croix, USVI
The Louis E. Brown Villas public housing community on St. Croix was originally built in 1970 with 436 public housing units. However, the site was damaged extensively during Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Hurricane Marilyn in 1995. As a result of the damage, Louis E. Brown has long been vacant and uninhabitable, with residents relocated into other public housing communities and with Housing Choice Vouchers. The units were demolished in 2008.
In 2008, the Housing Authority also embarked on a master planning effort to rebuild the community through a public/private partnership. The $32 million first phase of redevelopment began construction in 2010 with 102 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.
The Louis E. Brown Senior Villas is Phase II of the community redevelopment effort. McCormack Baron Salazar was asked to join the project when it was already underway, to help ensure the successful completion of the 40-apartment senior project. The development is built with hurricane-resilient features, and has several energy efficiency and sustainability enhancements, including solar hot water heaters, high-efficiency lighting, and solar photovoltaic panels. Stormwater is reused across the site for potable water.