By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Two prominent Bahamian businessmen yesterday voiced fears their area’s property values will be undermined if a Bahamian hotel’s planned expansion worsens existing traffic and noise woes, adding: “All our fears have come true.”

Fred Albury, the Auto Mall chief and former Bahamas Motor Dealers Association (BMDA) president, and Peter Bates, The Sign Man’s principal, told Tribune Business in separate interviews that they share similar concerns about the potential negative fall-out for Tropical Gardens and Gambier Heights if A Stone’s Throw Away’s proposal receives Town Planning Committee approval.

Its decision on the resort’s bid to rezone a property at the junction of West Bay Street and Tropical Gardens Road as commercial, so A Stone’s Throw Away can develop a cafe, grocery story and florist shop, is expected any day now, but the two business principals agreed that the concerns of residents and homeowners stem from the Government’s decision more than two decades ago to permit the hotel’s construction in a residential neighbourhood without adequate parking.

Oneil Khosa, A Stone’s Throw Away’s proprietor, told this newspaper on Wednesday that many of the residents’ concerns about loud music and noise being generated by his property were “not factual”. And he said numerous complaints appeared to be based on “emotion”, or related to issues not relevant to the present application, such as the resort’s construction in the late 1990s well before he acquired the property five to six years ago.

Mr Bates, in reply, yesterday agreed “it is” emotional given that his concerns and those of others stem from “a 20 year-old argument” that A Stone’s Throw Away “should never have been permitted” as a hotel in a residential area - especially without staff and guest parking. Voicing surprise that the commercial rezoning application is even being entertained, he blasted: “At some point Town Planning has to plan the town.”

The Sign Man principal and his wife, in a letter sent to the Town Planning Committee yesterday following Monday’s public hearing, wrote: “He’s [Mr Khosa] right about emotions because all our fears have come true. A 20 year-old issue that we complained about has now reared its head again with another proposition.

“The opening of a café, flower shop and grocery store will only exasperate the situation. This will add further traffic congestion and danger to both commercial and pedestrian traffic at a major juncture at West Bay Street and Tropical Gardens as vehicles will be parking on both sides of the streets.

“Parking along West Bay by patrons of Traveler’s Rest, the conch shack corner at Gambier Village and across the road from Sapodilla are all examples of what will happen in our neighbourhood. The parking Mr Khosa showed us at the meeting will not satisfy the needs and that major junction will become a hazard, as it’s a blind corner.”

Mr Bates told Tribune Business that he feared approving the rezoning, and that property’s subsequent commercial redevelopment, will slash property values in the area if increased traffic congestion and noise pollution result. “The neighbourhood has been plagued for 20 years by having the road blocked with taxis, food delivery trucks,” he added.

“We have had issues with traffic for 20 years because of this hotel being given the right to build against residential objections. I’m getting fed up. As Bahamians, we’re being told to accommodate this type of behaviour for a sense of progress. There has to be a development plan. Traffic and loud noise are the two major issues with the hotel.”

Mr Khosa previously told this newspaper he felt many of the residents’ concerns have been “blown out of proportion” and exaggerated, and denied that his resort played loud music to the nuisance of its neighbours as this would undermine its $500 per night business model and market position as the “quaintest” property in Nassau.

Mr Bates, though, was far from convinced. “My two biggest concerns are his zero parking for his guests, staff and patrons and, if he opens this thing up, with that comes the criminal elements. We have enough crime as it is. When is the Government going to stop this nonsense? When is the Government going to listen to citizens of The Bahamas?”, he added.

“At some point Town Planning has to plan the town. We’re very surprised that Town Planning seems to be taking him seriously. They should have shut him down. He has no business in that area. If he goes commercial, someone else will come along, buy vacant land, put up a high rise, gas station and devalue the neighbourhood. I have no time for this. I don’t trust the Government; any government. We really need to have a voice. It’s just become a very unhappy place to be a resident here.”

When it was pointed out that Mr Khosa said A Stone’s Throw Away had hosted just seven events or functions last year, Mr Bates replied: “I don’t care. I don’t care if it’s one a year. He’s in the middle of a residential area. He needs to shut it down at 10pm at night.”

Mr Albury, meanwhile, joked: “If it gets rezoned I will have to go to the Department of Inland Revenue and ask for a refund of property tax because the value of my property has gone down.

“What he should do take that property, create parking for his resort, and if he wants to do something with those properties he can turn them into villas and can rent them out as they will be right on the water. That will alleviate a lot of the parking issues and put him back in the good books of the residents of the neighbourhood.”

The Auto Mall chief said it was only once or twice a month, when A Stone’s Throw Away hosted functions, that traffic/parking woes and noise became a major problem. He revealed that he has to place stones along his property’s boundaries to prevent persons parking there, damaging his home and blocking him in.

Mr Albury, outlining his concerns to Tribune Business, wrote in an e-mail: “The issue I have with the rezoning is that it opens up the property to creating more traffic congestion at a very dangerous intersection, and creates a safety issue as that intersection is already a dangerous one to navigate.

“In addition, the resort has created a nightmare with traffic and noise on weekends as its being used for wedding receptions, birthday parties, company parties and more. How they were ever granted a resort license in the first instance without providing parking for staff and guests amazes me........

“In addition, Gambier Heights is about to become a gated community, which will have the effect of causing delivery trucks and clients attending Stones Throw to either reverse out on to Tropical Gardens Drive on top of the hill or turn around, which is very tight to do in a big truck. Presently, they drive into Gambier Heights and turn around there, causing traffic congestion in our quaint community and also a safety hazard to kids playing in the area,” Mr Albury continued.

“While I sympathise with the owner of the business, he should have done his due diligence regarding the parking issue around his property. While he does not live there, we do and have to contend with noise and overflow of parking. My recommendation to him is to utilise the property in front of his resort to create parking for his resort, and not attempt to put more businesses that will impact the parking issue further and create safety issues for the residents of the area”