Internet entrepreneur turned developer Frank Schilling has fired the starter’s gun on his Port Zeus project, promising to bring new tourism and business opportunities to Cayman Brac.
Schilling has submitted permit applications to create a new inland safe harbour and marina that he believes could support a fleet of fishing and water-sports vessels, luxury yachts and potentially an inter-island passenger ferry.
It is the first piece in an ambitious long-term project that could develop into an ocean-side village over the next two decades.
Schilling, who has been promoting his plan for a Mediterranean-style coastal development on land close to Scott’s Dock for around 18 months, said it was a momentous step to begin the formal application process. He plans to meet with Brac residents next month to discuss the concept.
The former owner of Uniregistry has acquired around 300 acres on the Brac in total, making him one of the biggest landowners on the Sister Islands.
Coastal works application
Cabinet has decision making authority over the coastal works application, which seeks to replace Scott’s Dock with a new 300-foot jetty and add a second jetty, jutting 450 feet into the sea, that will act as breakwater for wave action. A 120-foot-wide channel between those two structures will provide access to the new safe harbour.
Separate applications are being filed with the Development Control Board to excavate a lot on the land side of the development – creating a 9-acre inland harbour that can accommodate large yachts.
Ultimately, he aims to partner with businesses to develop commercial and residential lots around the water. Over the next two decades, he hopes it can develop into a bustling village that attracts affluent tourists from around the world and brings trade to the Brac.
He believes the initial step of creating the harbour is ‘not controversial’ and meets an identified need on the Brac. He said it would stimulate inter-island tourism as well as more visitation from further afield to the Sister Islands.
He hopes to have Cabinet approval and an environmental impact assessment completed in the first half of this year.
After that, he acknowledged it would be a ‘giant earthworks’ project that could take around two years to create the 20-foot-deep harbour. The next phase will be to develop the lots, which he estimates could be completed by 2027.
He said the project would help bring new business to the Brac without overwhelming the island with tourists. It will allow luxury yachts a safe way to visit both Sister Islands.
“Every time one of those yachts comes in, it is like a boutique hotel just pulled up. They need fuel, they need champagne, they need Diet Coke, they need a restaurant and a bar.”
He said the lots surrounding the harbour would be open to local businesses to develop.
“This is something I want to do in partnership with the local community,” he added.
Brac MP Moses Kirkconnell and Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan both offered support to the concept in a recent meeting of Parliament.
But the impact of the coastal works on marine life and the surrounding environment will have to be assessed by the Department of Environment before the terms of reference for a full EIA are finalised.
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