From ‘forgotten parish’ to being in full focus

FROM BEING long labelled the 'forgotten parish', St Thomas, on Jamaica's southeastern end, is now hitting the spotlight in a big way, with infrastructural developments there spurring some big economic ventures and interests.

Once a challenge to navigate even its main thoroughfare, that scenario is rapidly changing with the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project establishing a highway from Harbour View in St Andrew to Port Antonio, Portland, which should gradually mean little time between metropolitan Kingston and St Andrew and Port Antonio.

The changes have been fostering other major developments across St Thomas, where the Government is also adding an urban town centre on the old Goodyear factory compound in Morant Bay.

Last Tuesday, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett signalled growing interests in the changing dynamics of the parish while announcing that investors from the Dominican Republic are seriously eyeing St Thomas.

Speaking at the inaugural Jamaican-Dominican Republic business forum in Kingston, Bartlett said Jamaica is “anticipating, within a short while, a good visit from another set of friends from the Dominican Republic, who will be coming to look at my new destination, St Thomas”.

He said the group would be focused on seeing “how we can create a facility there that replicates something in the Dominican Republic”.

Also in the mix for St Thomas is a $22 billion, 396-unit, upscale, tourism-styled residential community that is already under way there. Unlike regular tourism facilities, that particular development doe not comprised hotel rooms.

Instead, in what is considered a first-of-its-kind locally, Sun Coast Beach Club is slated to turn 90 acres of seaside property in Twelve Miles, Bull Bay, St Thomas, into a paradise

Conceptualised with the all-inclusive resort lifestyle in mind, the development is expected to become a highly sought-after home setting on the island.

The detailed ingredients, scope, and planning for the development emerged from the mind of Kevin Frith, chief executive officer of TCF Holdings Limited, whose team is behind the development.

The new community is to include two- and three-bedroom townhouses, two-bedroom duplexes, three-bedroom villas, and two- and three-bedroom apartments.

However, from the developers' perspectives, the homes will really be the 'basics', with the real deal coming in a host of complementary amenities bunched into five categories: sports and fitness, recreation and relaxation, kid 'N' play, beach activities and watersports, and community engagement.

Tennis courts with private trainers, multipurpose hardcourts, badminton courts, futsal courts, a miniature golf park with private trainer, a fitness centre, and jogging and hiking trails are the sports and fitness elements.

For recreation and relaxation, there will be a clubhouse with a bar and sports lounge, a games room, a spa, a yoga centre, a dance studio, a community swimming pool, a sculpture park, picnic grounds, observation decks, BBQ areas, camping grounds, and a dog park.

For the kids, there will be a wading pool, a skate park, tot lots, pocket parks, and a maze.

Beach activities and watersports will include a therapeutic black-sand beach, a changing room, a beach bar and BBQ facilities, and access to surfing, scuba diving, jet skiing, parasailing/paragliding, and weekend boat trips to Lime Cay, downtown Kingston, Port Royal, Morant Bay, and Port Antonio.

Community engagement there will involve a central garden, farmers' market, an event hall and a homeowners' administrative office.

Add a commercial centre, including a doctor's office/urgent-care centre, a pharmacy, a daycare centre, a boutique supermarket, a fast-food outlet, a male and female grooming salon, an electric motor vehicle charging station, a roof observation deck, and an ATM.

With the villas having private swimming pools, the combination of amenities slated for Sun Coast Beach Club is expected to make it the first real resort-style residential community nationally.

Amid foundational infrastructure now being put in place, the model unit for the five-year Sun Coast Beach Club development is set to get off the ground this month.