The Tribune

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has appointed members of the Committee for the Development of Communities for Young Professionals.

The committee was formed in March to advise Dr Minnis, as minister responsible for land, on the use of government-owned land for the social and economic empowerment of young people through land ownership.

The committee will guide the administrative and technical development of communities for young professionals, a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said.

Committee members include professionals with multi-disciplinary experience, including property development, real estate, engineering, financial, legal, project management and public policy.

Members of the committee include: Viana Gardiner, chief operating officer, Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (chair); Nathaniel Beneby, retired commercial banking executive; Christine Wallace-Whitfield, president, Bahamas Real Estate Association; Michele Thompson, country managing partner, Ernst & Young; Sonia Brown, principal, Graphite Engineering Ltd; Carlyle Bethel, investment advisor associate, CIBC First Caribbean International and Charles Sealy, business administrator.

The committee will work closely with government agencies responsible for subdivision developments, OPM said.

Specific subcommittees made up of members of the public and private sectors also will be formed to provide for wider consultation and support where needed to the committee and to successful applicants.

The first community to be undertaken is the Prospect Ridge development for young professionals, with both residential and commercial offerings.

Last week, Parliament passed a resolution for the development of the 83 acres of land in Prospect Ridge as an upscale community for young professionals and the granting of concessions which would allow them the opportunity to access affordable land for the building of their homes.

Parliament also approved the conveyance of 83 acres by the treasurer to the Crown.

This first step of securing the land will now enable the government to proceed with the proposed development.

In preparation to advance the development, members of the Committee have already had meaningful dialogue with commercial financial institutions on funding mechanisms for young professionals. Architects and civil designers have already started work on designing an eco-friendly, upscale, sustainable and resilient community.

In the coming week, members of the committee will engage with representatives of various government agencies on the technical requirements for the development of the community.

The committee has completed the application form necessary for the Prospect Ridge community. It has been submitted to the Department of Transformation and Digitisation to digitise the application process.

A digital application form will allow young professionals to submit all supporting documents digitally and to track their applications. Details on the application process will be announced in the coming weeks.