By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Planning authorities have given the go-ahead for a controversial Lyford Cay condo project provided its height is reduced by one-third - and the number of units slashed by 30 percent - to address “overdevelopment” concerns.

Keenan Johnson, the Town Planning Committee’s chairman, told Tribune Business that “after extensive deliberations” on Tuesday it had decided to allow the development proposed by Eastmor Properties, headed by Michael Dingman’s son, to proceed to the next stage of the approvals process provided the number of units is reduced by 22.

He added, via What’s App message, that the Committee also wants the height to be lowered by three storeys although it had deemed the development compatible with the relevant land use and zoning requirements. “The Committee agrees that the proposed use by the applicant for condominiums is compatible with the land [use],” Mr Johnson wrote.

“The Committee considers the proposal of nine storeys and 72 units to be an overdevelopment of the site. However, the Committee is prepared to accept a proposal of a maximum six storeys and 50 units. The above is subject to the applicant obtaining a Traffic Impact Analysis and a Certificate of Environmental Clearance.”

The Town Planning Committee’s decision now places the onus on David Dingman, Eastmor’s chief executive, to determine if he can accept a reduction in the project’s size and whether it can work financially with a reduced number of units for sale. A reduced size could also help lower construction costs. Some may also view the decision as an effort to keep both sides happy - giving Eastmor a way to proceed while addressing some of its opponents’ concerns.

The development has generated significant concerns and objections from the Lyford Cay Property Owners Association and individual residents and homeowners. The Association, in submissions crafted by its attorneys, Higgs & Johnson, alleged that the Eastmor project “could sound the death knell” for the way of life developed in the high-end, exclusive gated western New Providence community over the past 50-60 years.

It had warned: “The proposed development, if implemented, would result in an extraordinary 15 percent increase in the number of household units in Lyford Cay on less than 0.5 percent of the land in Lyford Cay. This is completely disproportionate and out of keeping with the density of developments typical in Lyford Cay.

“The proposed development is intended to comprise 72 units but there are only 467 existing households presently in Lyford Cay (370 single-family household units and 97 multi-family household units). Whilst there are other condominium developments in the community, it is nowhere near the same scale as the proposed development, and it is much less objectionable to residents due to the topography.

“The occupancy density of the proposed development is at a minimum 80 percent higher than current multi-family densities.... It has been noted that the proposed development would add an additional 216 bedrooms and 360 to 432 possible residents living in Lyford Cay,” the Association continued. 

“The proposed development would appear likely to lead to over 100 additional cars moving around Lyford Cay on a daily or near-daily basis, without even accounting for the ordinary ingress and egress of non-residents in connection with the proposed development.”

The Association argued that the project site is subject to restrictive covenants that prevent multi-family development such as a condo project, but this was disputed by Eastmor, whose attorney is Allyson Maynard-Gibson QC, the former attorney general.

Eastmor said in a statement: “The condominium development presents an attractive proposition for persons seeking to downsize from their current residence, young professionals, as well as foreign residents relocating to The Bahamas for work purposes.

“The high-rise project is expected to provide a tremendous economic stimulus for the local economy both in the immediate and long-term, creating hundreds of construction jobs, other spin-off employment opportunities as well as $15-$18m [Mrs Maynard-Gibson said $30m] to the Government in stamp duty.”

Mr Dingman added: “What we are proposing is an implementation of EP Taylor’s government approved masterplan for condominium site number two. What we are using was always intended to be a condo lot.

“This project is not just a reaction to demand in Lyford Cay, but rather an execution of what has already been set in place. EP Taylor always wanted to expand Lyford Cay to include more people from all sorts of economic backgrounds and more Bahamians as well, which I think is important to note in this conversation.”

Mr Dingman said about 40 people have expressed interest in purchasing units. He said: “I don’t want them to be priced out of the market. I also don’t want them to have properties that they are unable to maintain. So, in many ways, having something that is apartment living makes a lot of sense for the younger and the older.

“This is something that we are excited about. My family has owned that land for around 15 to 20 years, and I believe that now is a very good time to develop it. We want to do it to the standard, including a Bahamian sense of place, that we believe we’ve always done our projects, some of which involved Jackson Burnside as architect. The timing is great and we want to continue the growth on this side of the island.”