Build Up, Not Out! | Bahamas Real Estate

Build up, not out, and provide for green space and harbor views. We have always treated Nassau with kid gloves – as if it were a small village that needed coddling, afraid to touch the height of buildings while allowing windows, doors, and other architectural elements to change so much that most structures would no longer qualify for a historic register. So we are caught in a time warp – pretending to protect and failing to move forward.

The time has come to recognize that Nassau is not a village, but a city and like all notable world cities deserves a skyline. There is a way to preserve Nassau’s vintage history and the architectural integrity that defines the city while creating a skyline that maximizes best land use.

I recommend a land plan that would allow high rises (20 stories or higher) to the east, west, and south of downtown Bay Street, creating a central area from East Street on the east to George Street on the west of a two-storey or current height maximum.

All major cities that are known for their vitality have a residential population.

Nassau is dead at night. Why? Because no one lives in the heart of Nassau. Re-zoning to allow luxury developments and multi-use buildings with office or retail space on the ground level or first two floors and residential units above will add/bring new life to a city that is extremely underutilized. Only imagination would limit what new development could mean to the city’s economy and life.

I have a vision of a new historic Nassau with a variety of attractive buildings with green space and courtyards cradling the center of the city, protecting important historic properties including Parliament Square. Right now, we have acres of vacant land right on the waterfront with high fences blocking the view and very little activity behind those fences. That land had tremendous value and by building up instead of encouraging more urban sprawl, will allow a view of the harbor front for everyone to enjoy. Skyline development is a global phenomenon that’s being properly addressed by some of the oldest cities in the world.

Development at both the eastern and western ends will generate jobs, create entrepreneurial opportunities and boost government revenue. Options for city living will also attract a young, professional population.

Part of the brain drain among young, well-educated Bahamians is that we do not have an active lifestyle, as they are accustomed to in their college towns or where they could live in the U.S. or Canada. This could offer such a reasonable solution. We also know that every home purchase generates at least three jobs. We cannot continue to do what we did before for no better reason than it is what we have always done. We have to move forward while offering well thought out solutions.