Nearly 700 Attend Innovative Housing Construction Summit Focused on Homeownership

Nearly 700 people participated in the second annual Innovative Housing Construction Summit held across St. Thomas and St. Croix, reflecting strong demand for affordable homeownership opportunities in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

More than 300 people attended on each island, bringing together prospective homeowners, developers, builders, manufacturers, lenders, government agencies and housing professionals to explore ways to make building and buying a home more attainable.

The two-part summit began Thursday at the University of the Virgin Islands Innovation Center on St. Thomas before continuing Saturday at UVI’s Great Hall on St. Croix.

On St. Croix, residents heard from housing professionals, developers and others about financing, construction options and potential pathways to homeownership. The summit was hosted by Sen. Marvin Blyden, chair of the Senate Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, in partnership with the Virgin Islands Territorial Association of Realtors.