Developers of the 585 acre Baker’s Bay Golf and Ocean Club say they are adamant that the project’s opponents are “propagating false and erroneous information” relative to the development and that the local press is failing in its job to be impartial in reporting news when it prints statements without verifying the facts.
The statement from the developers comes as they await a decision from the Supreme Court relating to a challenge the opponents mounted against the development at Guana Cay in the Abacos.
The most recent” example of erroneous information, the developers said, is the claim that the government is “giving away” Crown and Treasury Land.
The fact of this matter is that the Government of The Bahamas has agreed in principle to the lease or conditional purchase lease of Crown and Treasury lands to Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club, the statement said, “This is by no stretch of the imagination, a `give away’ of either Crown or Treasury Land,” it added. “This is easily verifiable because it is contained in the Heads of Agreement (HOA) signed on March 1, 2005, between the Passerine at Abaco Company (Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club) and the Government of The Bahamas.”
The developers said their feelings are prompted because of repeated claims by the Save Guana Cay Reef Association, which represents an “extremely small number of Guana Cay residents”, that the government is “giving” land away to the Baker’s Bay project.
The development company said that despite the availability of the facts to the Save Guana Cay Reef Association and the media, these erroneous and misleading claims continue to appear in the print media.
The HOA states that the Government or Crown “is the owner” of the approximately 105 acres of Crown Land and the Government or Treasurer of The Bahamas “is the owner” of approximately 43 acres of Treasury Land that is to be leased to Baker’s Bay Golf and Ocean Club, the statement pointed out.
The total size of the project’s site is approximately 585 acres. Of this amount, 460 acres are privately owned, including Gumelemi Cay, and approximately 126 acres are either Crown or Treasury Land, it also notes.
The Crown Land consists of 105 acres with planned usage in the following areas: 15 acres for the building of residential homes paid for through sales, 25 acres leased to the developer at market terms and dedicated to the marina, and the majority, 66 acres, is to be leased to the developer and permanently protected as an environmental Preserve area for the perpetual enjoyment of all Bahamians and visitors to the area.
The developers also pointed out again that the Treasury Land will all be leased to the developer at market terms and includes four acres dedicated to employee housing, two acres for a desalination plant, sewage facility and electric substation, four acres for a ļ¾ solid waste transfer facility, two acres for dry dockage of boats and eight acres for general storage.
Relative to the utilities and infrastructures, the developers said they are making them accessible to all residents of Great Guana Cay should they choose to access these environmentally, friendly and state-of-the-art. facilities.
“It is also important to, note that all the oceanfront Crown Land that will be’ leased to the developer is in’ the preserve,” the statement also said.
“The remainder of the Crown Land is at an elevation of only four feet above sea level and needs extensive improvements to be made useable for the marina or housing.”
Continuing to seek to set the record straight, the developers said the vast majority, more than 70 percent, of the project’s land will remain as open space.
In addition, the statement noted that the development is preserving more than six miles of the natural shoreline and the beaches along these areas will remain open to the public, consistent with applicable Bahamian laws.
Further, the statement said the company is funding the creation of an interpretive centre, public trail system and five-acre public beach park on the Sea of Abaco providing restrooms, fire pits and a public dock for small craft. These features as well as all of the intended Baker’s Bay development at Great Guana Cay are being carried out with the utmost care and respect for the environment.
“The developers of the Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club remain committed to developing the most environmentally-sound project that The Bahamas and the region has seen to date,” the statement also said.
Source: The Bahama Journal
