PM, ministers tour Point development; hint to plans for downtown development

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The Point hotel completed its first phase of the multi-billion dollar resort with plans for a boardwalk, additional restaurants and water features. Point President, Daniel Liu, spoke to the expansion.

“This project will be done by 2019, the soft opening by April 2020,” Liu said. “From Bay Street to boardwalk, we want to encourage the people to come out so down town will be live again.”

While activity on West Bay Street is picking up and improvements are being made, East Bay Street has been neglected by property owners.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon Hubert Minnis, while touring the facility Tuesday with government officials, said more must be done to encourage maintenance of those buildings.

“We have a long-term problem to deal with,” said Minnis. “You can’t have derelict buildings in your city centre. Throughout the world, there are laws to deal with that. I’m not saying this is what we are prepared to do at this time.”

The Point development has reportedly added to the equity of those properties in East and West Bay Street however, many businesses have failed to make any improvements.

A 3D rendering of the proposed multi-million-dollar Point development.

“A boardwalk will be constructed that the private sector will pay for,” said Tourism Minister, Dionisio D’Aguilar about proposed improvements. “When foreign visitors walk along, business owners will benefit. We want to make it [Nassau] a living city. That will be a critical component to this downtown revitalization.”

A press conference on the government’s plans to further develop the downtown area is set for later this afternoon.

 

About Genea Noel

Genea Noel is the news director and weeknight TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. She began working at Eyewitness News in 2018 as the newsroom editor and was subsequently promoted during her tenure. As a household name who graces the screens of thousands of Bahamian homes each night, Genea has racked up an impressive five Bahamas Press Club awards, including “The Cyril Stevenson Award for Outstanding Political Journalism” (2020), “Best Studio Live Producer” (2020) and “Best Newscast” (2018).