On any given weekday, hundreds of tourists and residents disembark from boats at the Spanish Town Ferry Terminal.
But by Tuesday afternoon, pedestrian traffic at the VG Town Centre, a 15,000-square-foot retail and commercial complex managed by the VG Yacht Harbour, had slowed.
Cars circled the central parking area every now and then, but during a half-hour span only a few people walked into Scotiabank’s branch, which was the complex’s first tenant when it opened five years ago.
For years, the complex has had a high vacancy rate despite investors’ and elected leaders’ hopes that retail stores and offices would expand beyond Tortola to Virgin Gorda. But now there are indications that this may be changing, however slowly.
Recent months have seen the complex become home to branches of Sotheby’s International Realty, Alamo Car Rental, and Western Union, the last of which opened when Flynn Williams saw demand from VG residents for money transfers, he said.
Earlier in the week, on March 31, businessman “Bau Bau” Gene Maduro died after receiving extensive injuries while moving a boat at his Fort Hill home, according to family members.
See the April 9, 2015 edition for full coverage.
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