The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

LIVERY drivers at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) will likely have to be relocated across the street from their existing parking area to make way for a proposed 250-room hotel.

Stacey Moultrie, principal of SEV Consulting, the Nassau Airport Development Company’s (NAD) environmental advisers on the LPIA airport hotel, told Tuesday night’s public consultation on the project’s environmental management plan (EMP) that the site is currently used for parking by livery drivers.

The potential relocation is among the impacts being considered as part of the environmental review process for the hotel project, which remains at the conceptual stage.

Ms Moultrie said the proposed alternative location for the livery drivers is across the street from where they currently park, although the issue remains subject to further consultation and the project’s development.

The proposed airport hotel features two buildings, one containing 120 guest rooms and the other around 130 rooms. Amenities are expected to include a café, fitness centre and meeting room.

NAD is pursuing the project through a design, build, finance and operate procurement model, with the bidding process to select a third-party hotel developer having closed on March 3, 2026. The winning bidder is expected to be selected in early 2027, and will be granted a lease of about 15 years.

The project’s construction duration has not yet been finalised, with the current estimate ranging from 18 to 36 months. Ms Moultrie said the design is still being developed and another stakeholder consultation is expected once more details have been completed.

That means the potential impact on livery drivers is not yet a settled arrangement, but it gives the airport hotel development a direct impact beyond the construction of the property itself.

The hotel is proposed for an already-cleared site near LPIA rather than an undeveloped area. Ms Moultrie described the location as a human-altered environment, which she said reduces some of the potential impacts that would occur with developing a previously undisturbed site.

Construction activity could also affect traffic around LPIA, with the environmental management plan anticipating the movement of heavy equipment and construction materials. Contractors are expected to avoid peak traffic periods, including the morning work commute between 7.30am and 9am, and the afternoon peak around 3pm.

Stormwater management is addressed in the EMP through culverts, retention storage swales and an underground stormwater system. The underground system would use individual modules capable of holding about 22,000 cubic feet of water, with the objective of preventing the hotel from contributing to flooding or excessive run-off around LPIA.

The Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) said the hotel does not require a full environmental assessment, but the EMP is being reviewed through the consultation process.

Bahamians and other stakeholders have 21 business days to submit questions, comments or concerns, after which the feedback will be incorporated into the consultation report and considered as part of the environmental management plan review. A further consultation is expected once the project's detailed design and successful developer have been determined.