NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) yesterday announced the formal appointment of a seven-member committee responsible for overseeing development of a new upscale government subdivision planned for western New Providence.
The move was previously foreshadowed by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, who last month said a committee would be established to ensure fair play in the selection process.
The Committee for the Development of Communities for Young Professionals will be headed by Viana Gardiner, COO of the OPM Delivery Unit, and include “professionals with multi-disciplinary experience, including property development, real estate, engineering, financial, legal, project management and public policy”, according to an OPM statement.
The statement listed members as:
- Viana Gardiner, chief operating officer, Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (chair);
- Nathaniel Beneby, retired commercial banking executive;
- Christine Wallace-Whitfield, president, Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA);
- Michele Thompson, country managing partner, Ernst & Young;
- Sonia Brown, principal, Graphite Engineering Ltd;
- Carlyle Bethel, investment advisor associate, CIBC FirstCaribbean International; and
- Charles Sealy, business administrator.
“The committee was formed in March 2021 to advise the prime minister, as minister responsible for lands, on the use of government-owned lands for the social and economic empowerment of young people through land ownership,” the statement read.
“The committee will guide the administrative and technical development of communities for young professionals.”
It added: “The committee will work closely with government agencies responsible for subdivision developments in The Bahamas. Specific subcommittees made up of members of the public and private sectors will also be formed to provide for wider consultation and support where needed to the Committee and to successful applicants.
“The first community to be undertaken is the Prospect Ridge Community for Young Professionals, with both residential and commercial offerings.”
The OPM specified that this refers to the 83 acres of land that were identified as the site of an upscale housing development, a resolution for which was debated and passed in Parliament last week.
The government has said the lots will be available for purchase for young Bahamians between the ages of 18 and 45, with the application process set to open this summer.
The Committee for the Development of Communities for Young Professionals has “already had meaningful dialogue with commercial financial institutions on funding mechanisms for young professionals, in preparation to advance the development”, according to the OPM.
In the coming week, the committee is also expected to “engage with representatives of various government agencies on the technical requirements for the development of the community”, including the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection; the Department of Forestry; the Department of Works; the Department of Physical Planning; Buildings Control; the Water and Sewerage Corporation; and “other relevant agencies in due course”.
“The committee has completed the application form necessary for the Prospect Ridge Community,” the statement read.
“It has been submitted to the Department of Transformation and Digitization to digitize the application process. A digital application form will allow young professionals to submit all supporting documents digitally and to track their applications.
“Details on the application process will be announced in the coming weeks.”
