Richie B breaks ground on $600m real-estate project in mother’s honour
Published:Monday | August 28, 2023 | 12:08 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
The government has committed its support for popular Jamaican radio jock, radio host and entrepreneur, Richard ‘Richie B’ Burgess, who has embarked upon a $600-million housing/construction project in honour of his late mother, Mavis Almira Burgess.
The elder Burgess died on July 17, 2022 at age 86.
The construction project will result in the creation of a housing establishment called Ma’ Vista at 12 University Crescent, Kingston 6 in St Andrew.
The construction cost is approximately $400 million and fully funded by MoneyMasters Limited. The other development costs and fees have added another $200 million to that.
Ma’ Vista will have four one-bedrooms at 798 sq ft, four two-bedroom single-floor units at 1,612 sq ft and six two-bedrooms split units at 1,599 sq ft.
The project is slated to be completed in September 2024.
Fayval Williams, member of parliament for St Andrew Eastern where the building will be located, offered words on behalf of the government during a groundbreaking ceremony held on Sunday.
“I love to see progress … We want to pray blessings on this development and from a lot of different perspectives. We know the impact that it will have for the existing residents. I know that this development will bring added value,” Williams said on behalf of the government.
She said that, in St Andrew Eastern, there are a number of multi-family buildings that have gone up, are in the process of going up and on the drawing board because the area is a preferred area in the Corporate Area with a specific flavour about it.
For his part, Burgess was delighted that a project he had in mind for years, ground has final been broken for it, and it will come to fruition in a year’s time.
Proud of mom
He is also elated to be the mastermind behind a building such as this, which will be named and established in honour of his late mother.
“I’ve always been intrigued and fascinated by real estate. There are many stories that have been told of the value that it brings to one’s life if you do it the right way, and so I’ve dabbled in real estate before and here I am doing Ma’ Vista,” Burgess told The Gleaner.
Burgess said he was trying to figure out a name for several weeks, and then Ma’ Vista came to mind starting which begins with his mother’s name after thinking of 30 names.
“In all of this, I was thinking that I want it to be a tribute to my mother and one day the word Vista came up and all of a sudden I’m seeing Mavis coming through and so Ma’ Vista was born as a tribute to her,” he said.
He said even though she is now gone, he is proud of what she has done as the matriarch for his family, raising 10 children and helping others.
“I’m confident that, with your help, your prayers, this venture will be a success as I seek to honour the memories of my mother and glorify the God who made all this possible,” he said.
Burgess was the previous owner of a gas station at Mary Brown’s Corner in St Andrew, which he gave up in 2006, but it is still referred to as Richie AB’s Texaco, which he started in 1996.
Across the road from that gas station, he still owns a liquor store, Richie AB’s Liquor Centre.
Howard Johnson Realty, partners on the project, have three buyers who have already taken up units.