There are objections to the Bakerﾴs Bay at Guana Cay project that the developers, the Discovery Land Company, just cannot overcome, Vice President Steven Adelson has conceded.
But what the company has done, he explained, was to modify its original plans in response to some of the concerns that have been raised.
The strenuous objections that the residents of the tiny cay off Abaco have raised have been widely publicized.
ﾓYou start with some grandiose plans of a previous developer and then our track record is always come in and reduce density and take a pristine piece of property and make it a model development for the area,ﾒ Mr. Adelson said.
Just last week, Guana Cay residents, many of whom were outraged about the lack of proper consultation before the government signed a Heads of Agreement for the development projected to exceed $500 million, got the courtﾴs permission to pursue a judicial review.
But the Discovery principal has pointed to specific changes his company has made including plans to scale back the marina from the initial 240 slips to 180, the expansion of the public beach park and the alterations proposed for the golf course to eliminate any threats to the nearby reef.
ﾓEverything that we have done has put a high emphasis on preserving the sand flats. Joeﾴs Creek and this whole native crabbing area we think is important to the overall health of the island. The public beach park was originally on the Atlantic side and we have moved over and expanded the size.Originally it was two acres now its five acres,ﾒ Mr. Adelson said.
ﾓThereﾴs over 500 feet of shoreline that goes into this public areas. I think the design of the golf course being a closed drainage system where everything is contained on the golf course has been something we have responded to,ﾒ he added.
A special kind of grass that thrives in brackish water is also planned for the golf course, rather than the normal type that would require high levels of pesticides and insecticides to maintain it. Residents had complained that the run off from these chemicals would have damaged the reef.
The company has also designed a programme of repairing previous damage to dunes and replanting native vegetation. As for the residential community, a strict setback is intended to be enforced to preserve the shoreline.
The company has also considered barring motorized boats from accessing the area of Joeﾴs Creek to preserve the eco-sensitive environment.
Quite contrary to the picture that has emerged of inadequate public consultations with the residents of Guana Cay in particular, Discovery executives said they have spoken with local government officials in Abaco about their plans, as well as sought input from the Out Island Promotion Board.
They also reported going door to door to explain their proposal. The plan is to begin construction in June, depending on the approval of certain permits.
But representatives of the Save Guana Cay Reef lobby have questioned the mechanism that will be enforced to ensure that the plans that the developers have submitted will be strictly adhered to.
The Heads of Agreement contains a provision that endorses sanctions for environmental degradation caused by the Guana Cay project.
In addition, 66 acres of wetlands, flats and creeks are being preserved through a foundation.
ﾓWe feel that we can bring a lot of quality developments and jobs to the area. There are a lot of people in Abaco that are looking for quality jobs and we are going to do that and offer them a better way of life with greater employment,ﾒ Mr. Adelson said.
ﾓWe canﾴt make everybody happy although we would like to try. This is a slice of paradiseﾅItﾴs hard to overcome everyoneﾴs objections, but through sound development principles, sound stewardship of the land, I think we are handling the majority of those objections.ﾒ
Tameka Lundy, The Bahama Journal
