The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian planning authorities are still voicing “significant concerns” about the location of the $200m Rosewood Exuma project’s service dock despite giving the “overall concept for the resort” support in principle.

Jehan Wallace, assistant director at the Department of Physical Planning, in a January 13, 2026, paper prepared for the Town Planning Committee asserted that relocation of the service dock “is considered essential to ensure environmentally responsible, resilient and sustainable development”.

Complaints about the service dock’s location, which sparked complaints and legal challenges from neighbouring developers of the Turtlegrass Resort and Island Club and Over Yonder Cay, was what led the Rosewood Exuma developer to withdraw the project’s first site plan application prior to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board’s site visit and subsequent hearing.

That first site plan had already been approved by the Town Planning Committee but, based on Ms Wallace’s paper, it appears the same service dock-related concerns still exist despite the facility’s purported relocation by the developer, Miami-based Yntegra Group. The site plan for the Rosewood Exuma project appears to show the service dock still extending some way out into the water at the development’s north-west tip - near its original site.

Ms Wallace argued that while the land use plans proposed by Yntegra Group are consistent with other resort developments on nearby Exuma cays, the location of the service dock still poses an environmental risk. 

She added that even though the Department of Physical Planning agrees with the resort concept in principle, it has a serious objection to the location of the service dock which is planned for an environmentally sensitive part of the cay

“As the Department's task is to review and evaluate land use, only matters regarding the compatibility and sustainability of the proposed project and applicable zoning is reviewed by the Department,” said Ms Wallace. “With this in mind, the Department supports the overall concept of the proposed development at Sampson Cay.

“The scale, form and land use of the project are generally consistent with resort developments on nearby cays in the Exumas, and the proposal aligns with established tourism and economic development objectives for the region.

“However, notwithstanding this support for the project in principle, the Department has significant concerns regarding the proposed location of the service dock on the environmentally-sensitive side of the cay. For the reasons outlined below, the relocation of the service dock is considered essential to ensure environmentally responsible, resilient and sustainable development”.

Mr Wallace raised concerns about the “viability and amenity” of the project, noting that resorts in Exuma succeed because guests are attracted to the natural, peaceful environment that provides tourism operations with their main selling point and source of value. 

She said that placing a service dock - which brings boat traffic, noise, deliveries and day-to-day operations - into a high-quality, scenic area, could detract from the natural look and feel that visitors to the Exuma cays expect and reduce opportunities for marine recreation.

“The long-term success of a resort in the Exumas depends on the protection of pristine beaches, healthy marine ecosystems and high-quality natural landscapes,” said Ms Wallace. 

“The proposed siting of the service dock would introduce operational activity into a high-amenity area, diminish marine recreation and undermine the environmental character that defines the resort's market appeal and value.”

She also highlighted regulatory concerns associated with allowing the service dock to remain in the proposed location, noting that due to it being places in a sensitive coastal area it will face much stricter review from regulators and environmental authorities such as the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP).

“Developments within sensitive coastal environments are subject to heightened scrutiny during planning and environmental review. The current dock location increases regulatory risk, potential stakeholder objection and future mitigation obligations,” said Ms Wallace, adding that a dock in such a location is more likely to suffer damage, require frequent repairs or become unreliable over time due to exposure.

“From an operational standpoint, sensitive beach systems are less suitable for service infrastructure and are more vulnerable to erosion, storm surge and sea-level rise. Relocation would reduce long-term maintenance, improve operational reliability and enhance climate resilience,” said Ms Wallace.

“While the Planning Department may support the overall resort concept as its land use is similar to nearby cays, the proposed location of the service dock presents a concerning environmental and planning risk.” These concerns will likely be debated at the upcoming public consultation on the Rosewood Exuma project’s second site plan application, which is due to be held on Thursday, February 5, at Black Point All-Age School.

The 131.2-acre resort development will feature 33 hotel units and 40 residential cottages, with more than 100 individual buildings covering a gross floor area of 519,808 square feet. With total bedrooms numbering 230, divided into 51 in the hotel and 179 in the residences, and an assumed two persons per room, maximum guest numbers are pegged at 460 at any one time with employee housing set to feature 150 units.

The Department of Physical Planning said density works out at 3.5 persons per acre based on the 460-strong figure. A revised Heads of Agreement for the project was signed with the Government on May 21, 2024, and its certificate of environmental clearance (CEC) was granted on June 23, 2025. Geotechnical works were said to have been “extended until June 30, 2026”, with temporary housing and maintenance works approved to start on June 5 last year. Civil works design approvals for paving, grading and maintenance have also been obtained.

The Yntegra Group, developers of the proposed East Sampson Cay project, announced last November that it would file a revised site plan application with the Town Planning Committee following community feedback and ongoing controversy surrounding aspects of the project.

The development has drawn sustained criticism from the neighbouring Turtlegrass Resort and Island Club, whose owner, Bob Coughlin, is part of the Save Exuma Alliance (SEA). Opponents have said the Rosewood resort is “vastly oversized”, and warned that development of a service dock in Sampson Cay’s north bay would destroy coral reefs, disrupt tidal flow and harm marine life. 

Yntegra Group, which is headed by Felipe MacLean, has consistently rejected and pushed back against these arguments. The Miami-based developer has asserted that its project will have a $1.6bn impact over 20 years, translating into $80m per year, along with an $834m boost to Bahamian economic output (GDP) and $336m in additional income for Bahamian workers over the same period.

This is equivalent to an average $41.7m GDP impact, and $16.8m in extra income, over that 20-year span. The increase in government taxes is forecast at $176m over two decades, with the Rosewood Exuma developer also projecting it will help create “533 full-time equivalent jobs annually” in construction, tourism and other industries.