Column: Foley On Community Planning & More

[Opinion column written by OBA's Maurice Foley]

This month, residents of St. David’s will gather to discuss proposed housing developments at Tommy Fox Road and Channel House. It is an important conversation, and one that deserves thoughtful discussion from all sides.

Let me begin by saying something that should not be controversial: Bermuda needs more housing.

Many Bermudians, particularly young families, seniors, and working residents, continue to struggle to find suitable and affordable places to live. As a community, St. David’s has always understood the importance of providing opportunities for Bermudians to put down roots, raise families, and build a future. The question before us is not whether housing is needed. The question is whether housing alone is enough.

Having been born and raised in St. David’s, I have witnessed firsthand how our community has evolved over the decades. I have seen periods of growth, investment, and change. Some changes have benefited the community. Others have left residents wondering whether decisions were made with the long-term interests of St. David’s in mind. That is why the current discussion about housing deserves to be viewed within the broader context of the future we want for St. David’s.

In 2021, Government and the Bermuda Land Development Company asked the people of St. David’s to help shape a vision for the future of our community. Residents participated in surveys, public meetings, and consultations that ultimately led to the Draft St. David’s Community Plan in 2022. That plan recognised the need for additional housing. It identified sites with residential development potential and acknowledged that St. David’s could play a role in helping Bermuda address its housing challenges.

But housing was never intended to be the entire vision.

The Community Plan spoke about creating a sustainable and thriving community. It identified the need for commercial amenities, economic opportunity, improved connectivity, revitalized public spaces, and perhaps most notably, a long-awaited grocery store.

Three years later, residents can point to housing projects moving forward, including the ongoing development at Battery Road and new proposals at Tommy Fox Road and Channel House.

Yet many are asking: Where is the rest of the plan? Where is the grocery store that residents have requested for years? Where are the commercial amenities that would allow residents to access essential goods and services closer to home? Where is the broader economic development strategy that creates jobs and opportunities within the community? Where is the infrastructure plan that demonstrates how roads, transportation, drainage, utilities, and public services will support continued growth?

These are not anti-housing questions. They are planning questions.

As residents watch additional housing developments take shape, they are also experiencing the cumulative impact of growth. Increased traffic, greater demand on infrastructure, and changing community dynamics are realities that must be considered alongside the construction of new homes.

Every community has an absorption capacity — the ability to accommodate growth while maintaining quality of life, infrastructure, services, and community character. It is fair to ask whether Government has assessed that capacity for St. David’s and whether residents have been shown the results.

There is another consideration that cannot be ignored. St. David’s is not simply a collection of buildings and roads. It is one of Bermuda’s most unique communities. It has a rich history, a distinct culture, deep family connections, and a strong sense of identity that has been shaped over generations.

Growth is inevitable. Change is inevitable. But growth should strengthen what makes St. David’s special, not slowly erode it.

Residents are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for balance. They are asking whether St. David’s is being developed as a complete community or whether it is increasingly viewed as a convenient location for projects whenever Government-owned land becomes available.

Communities are not built by housing alone. Communities are built by housing, jobs, services, infrastructure, recreation, culture, and opportunity working together.

As we prepare for the upcoming town hall, I hope Government will do more than present housing numbers and development plans. I hope it will provide residents with a comprehensive update on the St. David’s Community Plan and explain how today’s proposals fit into the broader vision that the community helped create.

The people of St. David’s participated in that planning process in good faith. They shared their ideas, concerns, and aspirations for the future of their community.

Now it is reasonable to ask: How many of those priorities have been achieved? How many remain outstanding? What is the long-term vision for St. David’s beyond additional housing? And perhaps most importantly, how do we ensure that growth enhances rather than diminishes the unique character of the community we call home?

A community should not be measured by the number of housing units it contains, but by the quality of life it provides to the people who call it home. Housing is part of the vision. But it was never the entire vision.

The people of St. Davids deserve the full plan.

- Maurice Foley is the Deputy Co-Chair of the One Bermuda Alliance and ran in the 2025 General Election in constituency 3, St., David’s

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