Developer Seeking Permission To Break Ground
Addax Holdings said they have submitted its first set of “detailed documents” to Planning seeking permission to start construction at the site of the former Club Med, and once they have the permits they aim to start construction in six weeks.
The former Club Med hotel closed in 1988, and has not been used as a tourism resort since that time. It is scheduled to become a Park Hyatt hotel, and construction was originally due to start some time ago, and the resort was slated to open this year.
Carl Bazarian, President of Addax Holdings, said: “This first set of documents seeks permission to break ground on the excavation and foundation for the beach club facility, which will serve as our construction office during the development of the hotel.
“Once we have permits from the Ministry of Environment, Planning & Infrastructure strategy we aim to start construction in six weeks,” said Mr Bazarian.
The proposed Beach House:
Mr Bazarian continued:”While we still plan at some point to develop the residential community for which we have received Planning permission, our intent at the moment is to move along with the hotel and launch the residential component when the market dictates.”
“Today’s submission to Planning is an enormous and very positive step that we hope the residents of St George’s and Bermuda will appreciate.
“As always, we are honoured to have the opportunity to work with the people of Bermuda.and are doing everything we can to be sure this project is positioned for long term success,” concluded Mr Bazarian.
The developers said they have been working on several changes to the project that will “improve its timing and chances for success.”
“Recognizing that the dynamics around using residence sales to leverage the development of a luxury hotel have changed,” Addax Holdings said they decided to “financially engineer the project and reduce costs in a high construction cost market in order to make the hotel self-supporting from a financing standpoint.”
Addax said they will “create a luxury hotel that stands on its own” with a more disciplined approach in the use of space in the hotel and facilities adopted.
They said this has led to such savings that an additional 35 to 50 full-time hotel keys will compliment the 100 keys already proposed, all without increasing the footprint of the resort, Addax said.
The developer also said they propose to further consolidate the resort amenities and infrastructure. For example, during the Planning process, Addax relocated the luxury spa, which was originally proposed for Fort Albert, into the same building as the golf club house in order to “create construction efficiencies without sacrificing the quality of the spa experience.”
In addition, Addax said they have devised a strategy to relocate the sewage treatment plant and reverse osmosis water purification facility from the approved site across from the main entrance to the hotel site.
Addax Holdings said they will be submitting permitting documents in installments over the coming four month period. From a construction perspective, they said they plan to start the main building in Fort Victoria following the Beach Club, then simultaneously do the hotel rooms, golf course, spa and other public amenities.
I’ll believe it when I see it…
Great news!
So nothing, lease terminate, expired, um ….no comment, the erm…we will break ground erm…..in six weeks, erm erm. If they start byilding this, doesn,t mean a hotel is coming. Trick tricks , do you fall for the cheesy magic show tricks?
Uh… hello… a beach house is not a hotel! But then we’ll go an look at the file at Planning to see exactly what has been submitted. I invite all other interested parties to do the same, once the application has been advertised in the official gazette… the Bermuda Sun.
Great news, now i know why the Premier wants to call an Election!!
Lets go Planning, move this process fast!!
Actually it’s an insult to our inteligence. The people of St.George’s have been down this road a few times already. Election year promises circa 2012.
Trick or treat?
Oh yea – start the beach club first and never complete the hotel Mr Bazarian???!!!
It is the hotel that will bring money to Bda not the beach facility – duhhhh.
There seems to be no pleasing Bermudians. We know that this project has been delayed way too much… we also know that the plp is in electioneering mode… but please, let’s take this as good news and have a little optimism. St. George needs this and as a St. George resident of 35 years, I for one am pleased with the announcement. I hope these are not empty words and I wish Mr. Bazarian the best in this project.
Yup, complete bollocks
The government hasn’t backed his comments. His lease ain’t worth the paper its written on. Something very wrong here. Who the hell is in charge on this island?
Please leave St Catherine beach in its natural state. no beach house, no concession stand. A natural beach and picnic area for both locals and tourist…
Real or publicity stunt. We’ll tell the people all these wonderful things that are about to happen, and by the way, vote for us…
When I see the guests check into the new hotel, I will believe it then.
We are still waiting on the other hotels… Par-la-ville, Sonesta, Southlands/Old Base, Flatts and wasn’t one originally going where the “not-so” Grand Atlantic projects are…
It’s simple – an election is coming, an election is coming…
Can we believe a single word this schemer says? Suddenly now another promise, right before his pals are about to call a difficult election. Sounds like foreign intervention to influence our election, perhaps Immigration should investigate.
And Bazarian is only getting around to submitting these basic applications to planning now? Liars the lot of them.
This is a terrible idea. There is no reason the job office cant be in a few portable field office trailers anywhere on the site. The real reason is that once Bazarian has taken over the beach and poured concrete he has his flag firmly planted and can hold the site to ransom as he keeps dicking us around. This is the time to terminate the agreement once and for all and seek other projects to use this fabulous site in a way and at a scale that is more appropriate to the needs of the St.George community. We are being taken for a ride by this snake oil salesman and need to stop now before we cant disengage.
Someone do a check on ADDAX Holdings.
They will build that beach house,. and that will be it, if we are lucky.
Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:29 pm (PDT)
In September the Government will probably give Addax Holdings
Ltd./Carl Bazarian control of the St. George’s golf course, old Club
Med cleared building site, possible additional land, huge tax
exemptions, land holding leases from 131 to 262 years, special road
access, special dispensation over St. George’s traffic ordinances,
all to build a hotel, condos and fractionals. Actually he will have
control of St George’s. Reading the RG article, as usual the amount
the developer talks about spending ($294M) on the resort is far short
of what it will cost IF the resort is built as proposed. Other than
Newstead, no other development has come close to looking like the
original proposal. The opening of the new resort is earmarked for
spring 2011 and that too is far short of reality.
Addax Holdings Ltd. is shown as a Bermuda company registered earlier
this year in the name of Carl Bazarian. Seeing as Addax Holdings Ltd.
will have leases from 131 to 262 years you have to wonder who else
besides Carl Bazarian is involved in Addax and how much control does
the Government really over the leasee? It looks like the Government
is prepared to give away a tremendous amount just to get something
built on the old Club Med property. Are Park Hyatt really part of the
action or are they just letting their name be used at this time??
Is it possible that Carl Bazarian an Armenian who is a well known
benefactor to the close-knit Armenian communities in the US is
connected to Dr. Ewart Brown thru Dr. Kevin Brown? Dr. Kevin Brown
just happens to speak Armenian and is now being investigated for his
work with clinics treating those of Armenian descent. Maybe it’s just
coincidence that Baby Doc (Kevin) speaks Armenian, works with
Armenian’s and his Papa Doc (Ewart) cancelled what was considered an
excellent Club Med development proposal, without any explanation. Not
to long after, along comes Carl Bazarian an Armenian who makes a
proposal for the Club Med property and now the proposal is being
promoted as though their have not been any previous proposals since
Club Med closed. Surely it’s only coincidence…..but Wanda in
Toronto may not agree.
All more stories on the daily Bermuda soap opera, As The Rock
Squirms.
Try finding anything about Mr. Carl Bazarian as a hotel developer. #1 he ISN’T a hotel developer, he is a finance person and so, once again, the least experienced person has been given the keys to the vault! Politicians should NOT be allowed to enter into important contracts. With only a few exceptions, they simply do not have what it takes!
To all the naysayers
It would be a good idea to at least have a club house in the area.
A simple solution… the old lease has terminated. Establish a new one with a buy back clause that activates in a year or two. If established deelopment has not taken place, the beach club will be bought at a preestablished price and Bazarian would not have a legitimate claim against Bemuda.,
Wow, talking about twisting arms. We hear nothing from these guys, nor see any progress to a hotel being built. Than all of a sudden (and mysteriously around election time) we have plans moving forward for a construction office on a beach? Get that? A beach? Who’s beach?
So now it looks like finally work is going to commence, can I still use the beach once the beach house/construction office has been completed?
If there is no progress on the hotel construction once the beach house is completed for say 2 years, does that mean the beach is private and off limits? Wait Bermuda’s laws say you can not own the beach and only own the property to the high water mark. Can I ride my jet-ski up to the beach and sit off?
Another loss of a resource to the public for what? To b@llsh!t!!!!!!!
BAZAR!!!
A pre- election show. Seeing is believing.
I have a bridge for sale – great opportunity for toll collection for those traveling to new Park Hyatt St. Georges resort, golf and beach club.
Please Contact:
Snake Oil Industries,
Marthas Vinyard, MA
“…seeking permission to start construction…and Once they have the permits they aim to…” blah, blah, blah. The official start of construction will likely be a “groundbreaking ceremony”…where a bunch of politicians and stakeholders stand around and watch someone (the Premier?) dig a few shovelsful of dirt in front of the cameras and announce construction has started, not on the hotel but on the foundation of the beach club facility which will serve as the construction office. Big freakin’ deal…. What I would like to know is what is the contractually prescribed timeline from groundbreaking to opening of the hotel…two years, five years, no set time? All this, of course, on the assumption that they even receive planning permission within their dreamed-up four-month period. By the time this development is done, if ever, I’ll likely be sitting in Westmeath wondering what my name is!!!
There’s not a conspiracy with PLP here. Instead its Bazarian realising that the PLP are in danger of losing the election and if so, his favorable lease is likely to be overturned by the next government. So in order to improve his legal positioning, he is rushing to begin sufficient work on the site to make it more difficult for the lease to be overturned. If the PLP hold on after the election then he will have bolstered his position with the government going forward. In other words — heads he wins, tails you lose. Either way, he will then continue holding the site in ransom in hopes an economic upturn will allow him to sell his interest in the site for a tidy profit. Too bad for St. George’s.