Jamaica
News - Real Estate - Projects
Source: Jamaica Gleaner, Janet Silvera, March 11, 2007
Major developments coming for Trelawny
Following
on the heels of the $2 billion multi-purpose stadium built to host the Cricket
World Cup opening ceremony and warm-up matches, there are a number of major
developments that will take place in Trelawny, the island's 18th-century
commecial capital, over the medium and long term. Aside from Harmony Cove
- the most ambitious tourism project ever initiated in Jamaica - five other
major projects have been unveiled:
The 140-lot Tamarind Ridge gated community by
Silver Sands Jamaica Limited;
The US$1.2 billion 900 acre-resort development
and township by Amaterra Jamaica Limited;
A mega cultural attraction tagged 'Outameni
Experience';
The 350-room Couples Harmony Cove;
The Excellence's Oyster Bay venture.
The six ventures span a completion phase of about
10 years.
Part of strategic plan
Last year, during the historic signing with the
Tavistock Group out of Florida for the 2,200 acres Harmony Cove project, Prime
Minister Portia Simpson Miller spoke of the significant and far-reaching impact
the development would have on the tourism landscape, with positive spin-offs for
the wider community.
"Harmony Cove, valued at US$2 billion,
forms part of the strategic plan to reposition Jamaica's tourism industry,"
the Prime Minister said then. "It is expected to add 5,000 rooms to the
current room stock, create 10,000 job opportunities in the construction sector
in the short term, and 10,000 permanent jobs when completed."
She said that Harmony Cove would create a
well-needed economic boom to the parishes of St. Ann, Trelawny and St. James,
while stemming the urban shift, which is a real challenge to the country
Mixed-use land project
Since that announcement, Trelawny businessman
Keith Russell and his American partner Chip Murphy have revealed a mixed-use
land project, which will see the area just outside of Duncans and next door
Harmony Cove become home to a 2,000-room resort and an 18-hole championship golf
course.
A total of five resorts have been planned,
with an additional 2,000 villas and townhouse lots, luxury apartments and a
commercial centre - the first of its kind in Jamaica.
The project is expected to transform the
landscape of resort development in the country and change the face of the
tourist industry, Mr. Russell recently indicated.
In another interview last week, Mr. Russell
stated that he and his wife Paula, through their company Silver Sands Jamaica
Limited, are currently putting in infrastructure by way of roads and pipes in
the Duncans area to accommodate 140 lots for the Tamarind Ridge gated community.
The quarter-acre size lots are priced at a starting cost of US$80,000.
"Overlooking the proposed Amaterra Resort
Township, Tamarind Ridge offers a spectacular view of the ocean, coupled with
the stunning mountain that juts into the sea," Mrs. Russell stated.
"Some of the best views on the whole coast are being offered here."
Tamarind Ridge's target market includes
executives, professionals and returning residents looking to construct their
dream home.
Coupled with these major ventures is the cultural
heritage attraction, 'Outameni Experience'. The Outameni Experience is a
partnership between renowned filmmaker and producer Lennie Little-White's Orange
Valley Holdings and the National Investment Bank of Jamaica. Conspicuously
depicting the Jamaican Motto 'Out of Many, One People', Outameni is being
presented in small architecturally designed villages, from the days of the
island's earliest inhabitants, the Tainos, to the heydays of the Spanish, the
Africans, the British occupation, and the arrival of the indentured Indians and
Chinese.
"We will have real people representing
the various ethnic groups. It is expected to be a holistic cultural experience
which takes place over 90 minutes, fusing art, music, dance film and drama and
authentic Jamaican food," Lennie Little-White has stated.
In the meantime Couples Harmony Cove, the fifth
addition to the resort brand, will be situated near the multibillion-dollar
Harmony Cove luxury tourism. The 350-room Trelawny resort is estimated to be a
$57 million investment and will be built on 38-acres of land owned by Lee Issa,
Couples Resorts' chairman. The construction is estimated to be completed in
2008.
Much has not been said of the Excellence
Group's Oyster Bay Resort set to be built near FDR Pebbles, but a year ago,
plans were in place to construct a number of rooms on piles in the ocean. It is
not clear whether or not approval has been granted for this unusual project.
However, the Excellence Group is known worldwide for its adults-only concept.
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