The government is in an advanced stage of planning for the redevelopment of downtown Nassau, including the relocation of the Bay Street shipping port to southwest New Providence, Minister of Energy and Environment Dr. Marcus Bethel said recently, but he could not commit to a timeline for work to begin.
Dr. Bethel, who has ministerial responsibility for the planned redevelopment, revealed that the public-private sector taskforce overseeing those plans was preparing to finalize its choice for the engineering group which will design the new $200 million port.
He explained that the downtown redevelopment project is a partnership involving the government and stakeholders from the private sectors, including landowners who live in and around the area.
In June, Prime Minister Perry Christie told The Bahama Journal that he expected that significant progress would be made on the relocation of the shipping port as early as 2007.
Dr. Bethel noted that by the first quarter of next year, much of the “behind the scenes work” for the entire project should be completed.
“[The stakeholders] have all been apprised and are supportive of what is going on in terms of the port relocation. That process likewise is moving forward, but a lot of what is happening is behind the scenes in terms of consultation, in terms of laying the foundation for the physical work to begin,” Dr. Bethel said.
Dr. Bethel indicated that one of the crucial elements of the shipping port relocation project is deciding on exactly where it will be placed.
He noted also that the actual downtown redevelopment project could take between 10 and 20 years to complete and explained that the United States and some European countries have carried out similar projects, which have taken just as long.
Dr. Bethel explained that consultants have already completed a format to revamp the area around the British Colonial Hotel.
“Right now a lot of the work that is going on has to do with the laying of the groundwork, building the complete support and buy-in of all the stakeholders in the downtown area, and beginning to prioritize those items that need immediate mid-term and long-term correction or fixing or redevelopment,” he said.
The entire beautification project would include the revitalization of the downtown area from Montagu to Arawak Cay.
In the initial proposed government plan, the complete Bay Street project would include a series of new government buildings and revitalized green spaces.
In addition, government buildings will need to be demolished to make way for an expanded Rawson Square, a redesigned Victoria Gardens, a redesigned Remembrance Square, and other small open spaces, according to officials spearheading those plans.
Prime Minister Christie has appointed the Nassau Economic Development Council to help drive the redevelopment process forward.
In June, the Council released a special report on its plans for the project noting that the effort is achievable and will yield benefits that extend beyond economic returns by creating a waterfront in the nationﾒs capital that is shared by all.
The reportﾒs authors say Nassau cannot afford to delay moving forward given the estimated billions of dollars that could be generated in the economy and the improved quality of life that will come as a result of implementing the plan.
At the time the report was released, members of the council said the next steps will be to initiate negotiations for the port relocation and develop a finance plan; establish a management entity for downtown regeneration efforts; initiate traffic improvements; prioritize catalyst projects; identify funding sources and financing mechanisms; and finance immediate beautification projects to demonstrate a commitment to the renaissance of Nassau.
By: Perry Scavella, The Bahama Journal
