Debate Over Grand Atlantic Property Continues

April 19, 2014

The OBA “needs to come clean and tell Bermudians” if the Grand Atlantic property will be sold outright or leased, the financial arrangements and if any OBA affiliated individuals stand to benefit, Opposition MP Michael Weeks said.

In response the OBA said the PLP “continues to fight this issue with overblown accusations that shift blame to others,” while the Government “has been working hard to turn a negative into a positive.”

The 78-unit South Shore property was originally built as affordable housing, however sales were slow, with only one unit selling in the first six months, so the Government asked for proposals from potential investors.

Earlier this week Minister of Public Works Patricia Gordon-Pamplin announced that the Government has signed an MOU with MacLellan & Associates.

The Minister said the proposal involves the creation of a “condo hotel” which will “make use of existing construction and bring a new all-suite tourism product to Bermuda that is very popular in other jurisdictions.”

Minister Gordon-Pamplin making the announcement earlier this week:

MacLellan & Associates said they are calling the development “The Bermudiana,” are are currently “working to finalise the financing arrangements for significant design changes and amenities…”

The Minister said that the Caribbean-based firm will work along with their local partners, the “Bermudiana Beach Resort,” which appears to be a new entity, with the term not appearing in any online search results prior to the announcement and the domain bermudianabeachresort.com having been purchased last month with a private registration.

Mr Weeks said, “Pre election, the One Bermuda Alliance and BEST, had nothing positive to say about the Grand Atlantic Development. The OBA did their best to create fear, and distrust among Bermudians, who were seeking an opportunity to buy their own piece of the rock.

“The OBA maliciously and deceitfully attacked this project as being in danger of falling into the sea. They have now dropped those claims, and pushed forward with this sale.

“With the malicious attacks upon the safety of this property, the integrity of On Site engineering firm, and planning department inspectors who deemed the Grand Atlantic safe, one would have thought that there would have been some mention of safety enhancements or upgrades to the property.

The photo below, courtesy of Todd Martin, shows the condos from the waterside, click to enlarge:

Mr. Weeks continued, “There has no such announcement, simply because from the start, the OBA were deliberately misleading Bermudians. The OBA put political power over people, and denied working class Bermudians an opportunity to buy their own homes.

“The OBA needs to come clean and tell Bermudians:

  • 1) Is this property to be sold outright or leased?
  • 2) What are the financial arrangements of this property transfer?
  • 3) Do any OBA candidates, elected or appointed officials, past or present stand to benefit financially from this deal?

“After being caught in multiple untruths and scandal after scandal in just their first year in office, one would hope that the OBA would begin to understand what everyone else already knows, ‘the truth will always come to light,” concluded Mr. Weeks.

In response, an OBA spokesperson said, “The PLP continues to fight this issue with overblown accusations that shift blame to others.

“The Government, on the other hand, has been working hard to turn a negative into a positive, and this week’s announcement on the Grand Atlantic gets us there. It’s unfortunate, but telling, that the PLP can’t bring themselves to acknowledge that fact.”

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Comments (38)

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  1. Raw Onion says:

    The question Weeks should be asking is “why am I making such a fuss over something that is going to recoup monies for the people of Bermuda?”

    • Serious Though says:

      The question he is asking is right, what changed? I think all those who wanted a piece of the rock would like to know ? The country deserve an answer too.

      • get over it! says:

        are you for real!!!
        most people do not qualify for cost of one of these so called affordable housing onless the are making upwards of 8 thousand a month not to mention the maintanence and ins! and for those! that do want a piece of the rock there are better opportunities out there! freehold and with rental income! so first time buyers where Smart to by pass this !

        • Black Soil says:

          If you had brains Mr. Weeks, you would understand the GA is PLP-fallout – a mess which the OBA is trying to clean up!!! The PLP built it to buy votes, and now the OBA is trying to do something with it to recoup something from the RIPPED OFF taxpayer!!

      • Mike Hind says:

        Nothing has changed. At all.

        The concerns are still there.

        That is the answer you’re looking for.

  2. deallnighter says:

    The sad part is the PLP built them, and OBA is stuck with them!Should they knock them down?! There here they have to do something with them, they sit there much longer they will need to be knocked down.
    GINGUS!

  3. Sandy Bottom says:

    Why does anybody listen to “we have 100 buyers lined up” Weeks? He was the failure guy on this whole project.

    • Serious Though says:

      What changed in 1 yr ? The truth nothing but the truth , not politician truth either

      • Mike Hind says:

        Nothing. Why do you keep asking?

      • Sandy Bottom says:

        Nothing changed. They found a way to use the property. Something the useless incompetent Weeks failed to do.

  4. James Rego says:

    The alternative to selling(?) these places to recoup our money by the naivety of the previous administration, is to knock them down, I can imagine the howl and fuss this would create. So the OBA are dammed if they do or don’t. Nowhere have I seen Mr. Weeks offering help or suggestions. He is rightfully upset because this mess is tied to his name and there is no getting away from that. Now he is trying to deflect blame by trying to make it appear the OBA are doing a worse job than he did. Is that possible? Mr. Weeks said back then that he had investors lining up and managed to sell one unit. The OBA say they have a development team in place who will help us retrieve lost assets, we will have to wait and see. In the meantime, Mr. Weeks is doing everything he is capable of to see this doesn’t happen!

  5. Story Teller says:

    Sorry Mr. Weeks, but you are seriously reaching with the ‘denied’ people anything claim and basically shifting the blame for the failure of this project.

    I looked at the condos when they first came to market and one viewing was all that was needed. Walking up several flights of stairs to get to a small 3 bedroom with lets say less than ample storage (i.e. closets etc.) options was a big turn off along with being sandwiched between multiple units also wasn’t ideal. The other one was the view, because if you didn’t get one in the front row there was nothing to see but other ugly buildings, the road or Swizzle Inn. And the nail in the coffin for me was the price tag of over $650k in a market where condo prices have dropped significantly since 2008 or so. That price isn’t for low income earners, as the project was originally claimed to be aimed at, and with 100% financing it would cost well over a $1mn on a 30 year mortgage. Definitely not a sensible investment when all things considered and that’s why I decided to forego the opportunity and it had nothing to do with the cliff face. And given the drops in real estate prices I was vindicated in my decision recently.

    In the end it was a poor decision for the Government to get into the real estate market during the bubble brought on by a generally over inflated supply which busted around the time of the completion of this project with the taxpayer now bearing the cost. This is further evidenced by the failure to build the much promised 3 star hotel that was supposed to be constructed as part of this project along with the second phase of condos. Is that also being blamed on this Government now as well? The ironic thing is now the so called ‘low cost housing’ project is now actually the hotel phase of the development.

    Turn them into vacation rentals and attempt to get some form of ROI out of these overpriced boxes.

    • Heavens says:

      we all know this project was payback for political “favours” for the PLP. it was never intended for anything else.

  6. BlueFamiliar says:

    Dear Mr. Weeks,

    As a Bermudian voter, I will tell you that I really don’t care who stands to benefit from this deal. I don’t care if it’s OBA people, I don’t care if it’s PLP people, I don’t care if it’s neither or both.

    I simply care that a possible purpose has been found for this white elephant.

    I really don’t recall whether the OBA sent up warning flags about the Grand Atlantic during the election. I know BEST did. I know a lot of people did. But even if they did… so what?

    The PLP was perfectly willing to sell it to Bermudian families regardless of the possible problems, so what exactly is wrong with letting a firm, one that is no doubt fully aware of the issues having to do with the site given there seems to be Bermudians involved, take it on in a way that could well give an influx of much needed life into our economy?

    I’ve no doubt we’ll hear more specifics on the deal when those involved get the finances in hand. And if we don’t, then I’ll happily support your call for them.

    Oh, and this? ““After being caught in multiple untruths and scandal after scandal in just their first year in office, one would hope that the OBA would begin to understand what everyone else already knows, ‘the truth will always come to light,” concluded Mr. Weeks.”

    Given how many untruths and scandals the PLP were caught in, one would think that they would be able to recognise them when enacted by someone else. Sadly, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

    But you are right in one thing ‘the truth will always come to light’ and because of that it’s not very surprising the amount of attempted deflection is at the height it is.

  7. Um Um Like says:

    Hey Weeks, why don’t you and the PLoP just buy the place and turn it into your new HQ?

    • Triangle Drifter says:

      Excellent plan! It is a monument to the PLPs’ ineptitude. Weeks & the rest of the PLP supporters are the ones who should be buying into this spectacular waste of taxpayer money. No discounted price either. P{ay what it cost plus what that dead money is costing the taxpayer while it sits there, empty.

      In the meantime Weeks & the rest of the PLP would do themselves a favour simply keeping their mouths shut on this & the host of other issues in the dung pile that they left for the OBA to deal with.

      • James Rego says:

        They should paint it that lovely shade of green so everyone will observe it as a monument to their inaptitude.

  8. jt says:

    Another mess has been dealt with. On to the next…don’t look back and don’t linger..no time for that.

  9. Alvin Williams says:

    Now that the so-called environmental watch dog group BEST has thoroughly compromise it’s environmental principles by shamefully kowtowing to the turn about of the OBA government over the status of the Grand-Atlantic- property of which it was one of the lead protesters over the building of the project; one wonders what reward it’s chairman Mr. Hayward can now look forward to? Not even the fig-leaf of taking Tuckers point to court will obscure the anticipation of the now high expectation of a return of BEST and it’s Chairman to a Key position as a part of this government’s environmental task force; a position which it enjoyed with the former PLP government before it prove itself to be too much of a stumbling bloc to government development plans and thus was removed. One will suspect that if BEST and it’s chairman do return to it’s former government position it will be less incline to protest too loudly over any future OBA government development plans; After all in walking in lock step with this government’s turn around over Grand Atlantic; it has already open it’s doors to any compromise as long as it can make lemonade out of lemons.

  10. somuchless says:

    Weeks is scared of something good happening. Someone send him to Martha’s Vinyard for a bit cause a lot of crap is falling from his mouth.

    Today its him. Tomorrow I bet it’ll be Lovitta. One thing they all love to do is jump at the Oba but they never remember what their party done.

    • Paul says:

      I think the likes of Weeks Desilva,roban and the others are missing their big salaries.
      OBA, most of us like what you have done so far to clean up the disgusting mess left by the former party.

  11. Vote for Me says:

    Lets do the math
    Based on proposed sale prices of $850k, the total development was worth $60m. Based on various real or imagined problems plus the drop in real estate prices, lets give revised values as low as $300k. Is it possible to sell the units at $300k to Bermudians?

    In due course, I trust that the voters will be made aware of the financial details of the ‘sale’. I will not be surprised if Government either agrees to ‘fix’ the cliff face or grant significant price reductions to MacLellan & Associates. The release also states that the developers are “working to finalize the financing arrangements for significant design changes and amenities…”.

    Investing money into the property, given actual or perceived concerns begs many questions. The most fundamental is what is the selling price (if there is an outright sale) for the units? Whatever the number, couldn’t Government at least offer them to the public at the same price?

    The general retort that MP Weeks or the PLP should not make any comment is not practical. Government should simply advised the principle terms of the proposed agreement. After all, they represent the voters..

    • Mike Hind says:

      IF all the things that you are supposing will happen happen, then you might have a point.

      But all those things are just supposition.

      Hard facts are what are needed, not supposition.

    • Sandy Bottom says:

      You lot are scared to death whenever this government solves one of the problems you created.

      There was a lengthy process for finding the best use for these condos. Anyone who had a realistic plan had the chance to put it forward.

  12. Was looking to says:

    The questions are simple. Is this property safe or is it unsafe? If it is unsafe Government are placing finance over lives. If it is safe, why all the previous negative comments?

    • Mike Hind says:

      That is a gross oversimplification of the issue.

      And one ignorant of the actual issue. Please read the stories.

    • Sandy Bottom says:

      The previous negative comments were because it was a huge waste of money. History has proven that to be true.

  13. Looking in says:

    Weeks don’t want this to be good. The govt will do well if they can do something nice with this eyesore.

    • Mike Hind says:

      As usual, it’s not that they’re worried that the Government will fail and Bermuda will be harmed, they’re worried that they’ll succeed and the PLP won’t get back in power…

      …in an election that is years and years away and should not be on anyone’s agenda at the moment.

  14. CommonSensenBda says:

    It is true…..the OBA does need to ‘come clean”, after wading through all the real, and MANUFACTURED B.S. the PLPbiu left our country in, the stench of feces and muck the “People’s party” left will stay with the OBA unfortunately for years.

    Lets look at the some of the Feces…..

    Unemployment at more than 8%…..
    A “broken economy” — M.P. Burt…..
    The “Grand Atlantic”, an “AFFORTABLE” Housing Project with units costing $5,000 per month……
    A Public Transport Board who can get their employees to fix broken buses, agree to a working schedule, or fix the Ferry Fleet…..
    Write contracts for multiple year contracts, then accuse the new admin of awarding “Friends & Family” contracts, when they were written under the PLPbiu…….
    A “Shadow Minister” demanding the new Minister of Health do something about the sewage problem that was first REPORTED IN 2002 (under his watch)but that he asserts “was NEVER brought to his attention” while he was minister…….
    M.P. Burt crows about the 900 Bermudians who lost their jobs under the OBA’s tenure, but how many lost their jobs between 2008 – 2012, and other than suggesting Bermudians to become Landscapers and clean pots in restaurants, how many of the unemployed were hired?…….

    AND THE LIST GOES ON….

    • somuchless says:

      The PLP are just pissed that things are getting done.

  15. JUNK YARD DOG says:

    The Ocean Front Grand Atlantic is located on part of………. the “Golden Mile”, if Bermuda is a piece of heaven, then the Grand Atlantic is also another piece of heaven.
    Do you all not know what you all have there, if not, go to Miami or Daytona Fl. and see how they with vision maximize their beach front real estate.

  16. Take it Easy! says:

    Mr. Weeks said he had a 100 buyers! I guess its one of those “we had to deceive u” comments! cuz i still see the same buyer from the first one that has been sold!

  17. Take it Easy! says:

    Listen this another example (Grand Atlantic) that why we BERMUDIANS are suffering! There is 60 million out of OUR missing 800million! We have along way to go. But a decent start!

    • Was looking to says:

      Mike Hind,

      Some things begin from such a simple base. Loughlands sold immediately. With all the initial negative comments about Grand Atlantic, there was fear among perspective purchasers. As time went on and the fear mongering died down people became more interested in purchasing Grand Atlantic and five where a varying stages in the purchasing process. What is interesting is that the banks were willing to lend money for purchases, insurance companies were willing to insure risk . So yes, it is that simple. All the other issues stem from the simple base.

      • Mike Hind says:

        My bad, that was YOU doing that. I misread comments above in my haste. Apologies to “looking in”

      • Mike Hind says:

        And yet…

        Sure, things stem from a simple base. I use that concept in problem solving in my own life.

        However, I also try to have as much information as possible and not start from a place of ignorance, which it seems “looking in” was. Either that or he was intentionally trying to spread misinformation in order to denounce the Government… I prefer to think it was the former.

        (And five is STILL not enough…)

  18. Cast asspersion all you want plp…you created the problem…least….very least …you can do is step away from the wicket….your innings are over…..this is a real and present problem that requires constructive and problem solving address!If your not going to help….then cease and desist!………you are being derrisive about a thing “YOU” created!Help or be silent…..your intent must change to reflect this constituancies best interest……jusso you are clear on this…..you came south shore Warwick and created this overtly large ominous unattractive developement ,one stacked on top of the other to sell as many units as possible to as many as possible without care to the esthetic effect it would have on the surrounding beauty……fine…let’ts get some revinue frome it before it has to be escavated and recreated as a more attractive developement ,this time with integral beauty and desire as a motivational proponent!…Serenity is not freedom from the storm,but peace amid the storm.