Bermudiana Beach Resort Submits Application
The Bermuda Housing Corporation [BHC] has revealed that a planning application has been submitted for the proposed redevelopment of the South Shore development known as ‘The Bermudiana Beach Resort’ [formerly Grand Atlantic].
Plans accompanying the application submitted this week by local architecture firm OBM depict an ocean front resort property complete with pool, palms, and soft Bermuda pastel coloured buildings.
A spokesperson said, “BHC General Manager Major Barrett Dill confirmed that Caribbean-based hospitality, tourism and leisure consultancy firm MacLellan & Associates, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] regarding the project earlier this year, has been working with the local team to complete the due diligence process and the BHC has been pleased with the progress made by this conscientious group.”
“Representatives from MacLellan & Associates have met with local banks; lawyers; insurance companies; engineers and service providers.” said Major Dill. “Potential hotel management companies have also toured the property.”
“The planning application is in two parts, designed to facilitate the re-development of existing structures to a condominium hotel development. Proposed beach amenities form a separate application. Robert MacLellan, President of MacLellan & Associates, praised the level of local knowledge brought to the project.”
“We are excited about the possibilities and look forward to the next steps on the project as we are now finalizing feasibility study and await planning approvals,” said Mr. MacLellan.
“A condo hotel is a development which is legally a condominium but is operated as a hotel, offering short term rentals with Front Desk and other facilities. When owners are not in residence, they can leverage the marketing and management done by the hotel operator to rent and manage the condo unit as it would any other hotel room.
“This product will offer a new style of hotel inventory for Bermuda, well suited to family vacations and group accommodations such as those required to support international sporting events such as the proposed America’s Cup.”
Good idea , we want one.
Its amazing how this place was an unsafe eyesore that should be knocked down but now it a great place for a Condo/Hotel…. smh…POLITRICKS it never ends.
1. Developer is aware of those concerns and isn’t concerned by them as has been reported.
2. Would you be okay with completely throwing away the millions of dollars spent on that eyesore and total waste of public funds by knocking it down?
God you folks are full of crap….
What is that supposed to mean? “you folks”, sounds pretty racist.
@ Micro – now saying ‘you folks’ is racist? Lmao! Paranoind are we?
Ok then. You folks have all forgotten who built the $60m total waste of money.
@ micro.
2. Damn right.
Safety first but it’s all about money.
Now seek advice from the AG as to how you can find the missing $800 million that was lost and not addressed TODAY by the Audit Department of Government and it’s head.
Fu%^in money.
I am sure you know where ‘dislike’ is since your so much in the know.
Not really. There are a lot of fairly credible people who stated that there is a threat to the structure from erosion over the course of the next few decades. Which obviously makes it unattractive for residential sales purposes, which is what the former government tried to do here.
If someone wants to try and make lemonade out of lemons and refit it for hotel purposes then that’s great in my books.
Doesn’t change the fact that it still might fall into the ocean in 20-30 years and should never have been built in the first place.
nah bigga…its about big business aka:money. we have to make whatever we can to try and avoid a large loss…if they sell it to you and later down the road the shoreline becomes a safety factor ONLY YOU are the one taking the loss not anyone else but if we can juggle dat b!T@#…flip n turn making big paper …then if anything was to happen down the road …hopefully we would of made more than the cost of the project itself…and i’m for that. yah mon
They are empty!!!!!! Did you run out and buy one? Would you make these places a long term investment for your family.
If I’m not mistaken, there is quite a bit of undeveloped land next to the former “Grand Atlantic”; therefore even if,(and I emphasis the if) the cliff front properties are one day unsafe at least the developer/s will be able to get monies for the new buildings which will be eventually built…
That land was intended to have further units and I believe a hotel built on it…
Yes, that’s right. The PLP plan was to have a five-star hotel right next to it. Amazing how a plan like that fell flat on its face, isn’t it.
But Raymond.
All the land on South Shore does not solve the problems with existing.
Come on dood.
May those seeking power, not upset the ability of this project becoming reality!
Can’t help but wonder how many pennies on the dollar that was put into it that the taxpayer, that is us, is getting back.
It should never be forgotten that was such a waste of money & who wasted it.
Need there be more “said”?
I particularly like the idea of pastel colours, maybe one could be left green in memory of the PLP incompetence!
Don’t forget to put a flagpole outside, just for the PLP flag. Maybe one of the Bettys would like to raise it every morning.
Let it go Try/Triangle.
You cause more division with you wealthy words than healing.
Yes, I also agree Terry, it’s time to allow the waters to flow under the bridge. Now, getting back to “all the land on South Shore does not solve the problem” That’s true but, if / when it is developed,(according to the plans) it will bring in investors not only to that site but to the surrounding areas…I believe there was once plans for a supermarket across the street and of course there is room for a few more people with ideas…(All will create jobs for locals I pray)
Don’t understand how this new scheme solves the problem!! Didn’t people decine to purchase/own these condos from the BHC because they’re overpriceed AND concern the $$ invested would be lost if/when the condos become uninhabitable due to beach erosion?? So who’s going to buy/own them now?-just because they can also be rented out??
The investors have a plan,(and the money) to rectify the problem with the erosion…There will be different folks purchasing them places and in actual fact, the whole plan is changed from what the former Govt. had planned for that site. As the saying goes, “time will tell”.
The terms of the lease/sale have not been made public. Not sure if we really want to know. Likely only pennies of the dollars they cost the taxpayer. There is a glut of rentals empty now. Rents have dropped dramatically thanks to IB being chased off the Island. Take a ride around at night & see how many places are in darkness. Forecloseures are up because people cannot make mortgage payments. No, the banks don’t want the propertys back. What are they supposed to do with them?
I wish the redevelopers of the Grand Atlantic white elephant well. They will need good luck. They will also need a stable Bermuda to work in.
It’s being repurposed for tourism use rather than as living accomomodation. And as part of it, it looks like the developers are making it prettier and nicer, with a better design. Which is good, because a big part of its problem was its total butt-ugliness and poor design.
And even if the buyer/owner is the ‘developer’ MacLellan, wouldn’t they only pay the BHC very little??-the same as if the condos were sold locally-at very low distressed prices??
No. The critical difference is that now, the developer should have the risk, not Government. If there are issues with the cliff, the developer should own them. If the units can’t be sold, the developer has the maintenance cost, not Government.
The purchase price, likely very low, simply reflects the poor decision to build the project in the first place. But the sale should end Government liability.
EW
Converting this lemon into lemonade is a huge project. The developers/financiers must be quite confident in the direction the country is taking if they are prepared to take this on. If the developers have done proper due diligence by taking all reasonable steps to confirm financial, legal, structural, zoning and environmental concerns and then signing off on all that, then the government would be off the hook should the cliff-side buildings took a tumble. Once all the documentation is finalized and the property changes hands, any liability for damages, etc. would fall to the developer. It will take some considerable time, no doubt, before ground is broken on this project. Hopefully, it will come to fruition and not get bogged down between now and then.