Ed Hoffer, owner of Hoffer and Sons on the eastern end of Bay Street, has had to contend with the drab conditions near his establishment for many years.
“I would like to see them develop Bay Street and if it would happen that would be great,” Mr. Hoffer told The Bahama Journal. “But they have been talking about the same development for a long time. I think almost 15 to 20 years.”
Mary Jane Lotmore, who owns the nearby Benneton clothing store, said the government boasts about millions of visitors to The Bahamas annually, but is doing nothing of note to improve downtown.
She said the eastern end of Bay Street, from East Street to the Paradise Island bridge, is totally neglected.
“There are no words to describe it,” Ms. Lotmore said. “Sidewalks are filthy. The buildings are derelict; we need a stoplight at Elizabeth Avenue. The area is just not maintained.”
She said businesspersons along East Bay Street need and deserve more attention.
“During the Christmas holidays there were no police down here,” Ms. Lotmore said. “They were all up the street. That’s not fair and during that time there were some suspicious looking people about, but all the police were on the other side of Bay Street.”
Melessa Saunders, who manages Broadway 1999, a clothing store on East and Bay streets, hopes the redevelopment would translate into more business.
“Bay Street needs a whole new facelift,” she said. “And it would definitely help business because it would bring a better flow of traffic which means that more people would be able to see the goods we have to offer.”
Ms. Saunders hopes the redevelopment would also mean more available parking space, “something that does not exist and is needed.”
While no major physical work has started in the downtown area, Prime Minister Perry Christie indicated at his party’s national convention in November that a lot was being done behind the scenes as part of what he said was a massive project.
He too recognized that downtown Nassau is “drab and dirty”.
“The city cries for physical renewal,” said the prime minister, who early in his term appointed a private sector committee under the co-chairmanship of the late George Mackey and Norman Solomon to assist the government in spearheading a renaissance of the city.
In 2004, EDAW, an international planning firm, conducted a survey of the downtown area and developed a plan that outlined details of the project, with the main objective being to restore “old Nassau.”
The project will entail improvements between Arawak Cay in the west to Montagu in the east, including enhancements to the Nassau harbour.
“To pave the way for the redevelopment of Nassau-I have had to convince the people with all the waterfront docks, commercial vessels, freight containers and heavy trucking that we really have to move all this stuff somewhere else,” Mr. Christie said during the convention.
At the time, he also reported that all commercial shipping interests on Bay Street will be relocated to a new $200 million port facility near Clifton Pier in an environmentally appropriate area.
He said the port will be able to meet the commercial shipping needs of New Providence for the next 50 years.
“Soon, therefore, no more heavy trucks will be cluttering up the downtown area with all their noise, pollution, and unsightly appearance,” Mr. Christie said. “All goods coming into the country by ship will enter through this new port in the west instead.”
Many downtown merchants hope that the move would materialize before the end of the year.
Charles Klonaris, a long time advocate for the redevelopment of Bay Street and proprietor of Mike’s Shoe Store, said proper studies must be done before the shipping port is relocated.
He said questions will be raised regarding the financing of the new port.
Mr. Klonaris believes the end result of the redevelopment would be in everyone’s interest.
“I’m very excited,” he told The Bahama Journal.
“I think that is exactly what this country and this city needs. We need a revitalization plan to make this city a living city that we all could be proud of and a city that is enjoyable.”
Mr. Klonaris also pointed to the benefits of having a city right on the harbour, indicating that it makes it a more attractive destination for tourists.
Jerome Cartwright, a taxi driver, agreed.
“Once the area is beautified and cleaned up I think more tourists will be attracted to downtown, which will translate into more business for stores here on the strip and for us taxi drivers,” Mr. Cartwright said.
By: Stephen Gay, The Bahama Journal
