By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

An Exuma resort developer yesterday warned he is prepared to halt his $75m project and pull-out if a neighbouring development is allowed to proceed without resolving environmental concerns.

Robert Coughlin, the Turtlegrass Resort and Island Club’s principal, said it was “disheartening” that the adjacent $200m Rosewood Exuma project on Sampson Cay plans to dredge almost 240,000 cubic yards of fill to create two marinas as well as install an employee dock and seawall in front of his property.

He disclosed that he is ready to stop his project at the $25m first phase, with only one-third of its capital investment spent, and abandon his ambitions if the nearby mega resort is allowed to significantly alter the environment shared with his sustainable eco-property. Such an outcome would potentially cost The Bahamas around 50 jobs a year from now.

“I think what’s going to happen potentially, DEPP (Department of Environmental Planning and Protection) is going to go: ‘You can’t dredge the bay, but you can put an employee dock there’, and I just have to say publicly, if that’s the outcome, what you’ve seen is what we’re going to do, and we’re packing up and leaving,” said Mr Coughlin.

“That’s the 50 jobs that should be here a year from now won’t be here any more because it’s not fair. We made the commitments, we’ve done what said we were going to do. We’ve been truly environment and there’s no reason why they’re trying to put this square peg in a round hole. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Mr Coughlin said Turtlegrass is currently the second largest employer in central Exuma, and should have completed Phase one and increased its workforce, but he is wary about doing so as the plans for Rosewood Sampson Cay would affect the viability of his project.

“We’re the number two employer in the central Exumas right now, and we’re providing high-paying jobs to our associates. We’re not cutting corners on taking care of our staff. So, yeah, I feel like we’re having real impact. We have a good vision for what we want to do, but I’ve said we’ve got to resolve the fact that we’ve got the situation in front of us here,” said Mr Coughlin.

“We should be engineering and architecting the clubhouse right now. In fact, we should be done and we should be moving up our number of employees and building employee housing, but I’d never get a return on investment. And it’s not going to be a good guest experience, and it’s going to be dangerous if somebody puts that in front of us.

“I’m getting painted as the person who doesn’t want development. There is a PR campaign from the other side to try to convince people that I’m being difficult in this scenario.”

Mr Coughlin said numerous government officials have been made aware of his concerns, but he has yet to receive a commitment  to resolve them. Yet he remains hopeful the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) will step in and offer Rosewood Exuma alternatives that will be more environmentally friendly.

“I am to the point where I don’t know what to do, so I’m trying to do the right things here and I’ve been totally ignored by the Government and by Yntegra in this process. I’m hopeful still, because I don’t want to leave it on a negative tone, that DEPP who I appreciate and respect, will say, ‘look guys, you have alternatives, you need to shrink this a little’. There’s been a lot of opposition to the density of this project,” said Mr Coughlin.

Miami-based Yntegra Group is Rosewood Exuma’s developer. He added that his concern over their project relates not to proximity but the scope of their plans and how they will alter the pristine environment that is a huge selling point for Turtlegrass.

“One government official said to me once: ‘This is just two developers having a dispute being next to each other’. What makes this different is the only way to get to their resort is through my front door. So, if this was Baha Mar’s swimming area and, all of a sudden, somebody puts something next door and a barge was coming through, I don’t think they’d be very happy about it,” said Mr Coughlin.

He also criticised Rosewood Exuma for marketing themselves as a sustainable development while proposing to build docks and marinas in locations that will potentially damage the waters surrounding Sampson Cay.

“You got a group that, if you look at their history, Yntegra has never built anything. They weren’t a development company; they were a fund raising company,” said Mr Coughlin.

“They are running ads right now on Instagram telling you why they are environmentally friendly and can try to convince everybody of what’s going on here and they’re the ‘Second Coming’ to the Exumas. And what do they say? Sustainable development; we’re using sustainable materials, we’re using sustainable this, sustainable that. Their marketing firm is just all over the word ‘sustainable’, but that sits on top of scraped land and scraped reef and scraped sea grass.”

Mr Coughlin said while his project was initially expected to be valued at $75m, there were plans for future expansion including an educational programme where guests and students can learn about the environment and conservation practices.

“In total, this is a $75m-plus project to get the clubhouse done, get some more housing. And I am certain that once that gets up and running, there’s projects beyond that,” said Mr Coughlin.

“I didn’t feel the need to walk in and go this is a $200m development to sell anybody on it. My whole theory has always been under-promise and over-deliver, tell people that you’re going to do this much and meet it and meet and exceed expectations.”