The government has issued demolition orders for nine buildings East of East Street, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper revealed yesterday, adding that the government also has legislation out for consultation that would create a management body for the city of Nassau.
Cooper, who was speaking to reporters outside Cabinet yesterday, explained that government has spoken to downtown stakeholders about the poor state of downtown, as the new cruise port nears completion.
Many of the buildings east of East Street have become eyesores, and Bahamians have been calling for them to be torn down for years.
Cooper did not say which buildings have been eyed for demolition, but contended that many areas east of East Street remain part of the unattractiveness of Bay Street.
“This problem is decades old as you would well know,” said Cooper.
“I toured the Nassau cruise port yesterday with a view to assessing readiness for an opening at the end of May. This is going to happen. It’s going to be phenomenal. For those who many not have seen it, you may perhaps imagine a larger version of (Atlantis’) Marina Village.
“This is going to have a significant draw in and of itself. This will also be a driver, I hope, for the rest of Bay Street to redevelop.”
Cooper explained that the government has called on downtown building and business owners to clean and beautify their storefronts, as the town makes ready for a brand new cruise port.
He added that they have been in conversation with the art community to see how they can contribute to the beautification of Nassau.
Cruise lines and cruise passengers have complained for years that there is nothing to do while in Nassau’s port.
Yesterday, Cooper urged Bahamian entrepreneurs to begin to create authentically local items to sell, and to create services to leverage the large number of tourists who are coming to The Bahamas.
According to him, the management body for the city will likely be in the form of a city manager, that includes the collaboration of the Downtown Nassau Partnership (DNP). He said the DNP has been largely unable to do its best work because the legislation that created it did not have the strength of the law behind it, which would have allowed the DNP to carry out certain actions.
“They (DNP) have made some inroads but their partnership did not have the teeth of the law to support it, to address derelict buildings, to address parking, to address the general beautification of the area, with the support of the government and the tax dollar,” Cooper said.
“So we hope to be able to provide some form of subvention, to be able to help to manage the city center in a more respectable and progressive way.”
He added that vagrancy in the city will be addressed by the police and through the government’s mental health bill that was passed last year.
