Nineteen affordable homes at Light House Gardens in West Bay will be completed and handed over to the new owners before Christmas, the government has said.
The Ministry of Planning, Agriculture, Housing and Infrastructure said phase three of the project, spearheaded by the National Housing Development Trust, is progressing well.
It began in December 2022, when the ground was broken at the 9.5-acre site off Boatswain Bay Road, and, once finished, will see the total number of houses there rise to 55.
The homes are being sold for $170,000 for two bedrooms two bathroom house and $185,000 for a three bedroom two bathroom house.
A team from the ministry, led by minister Johany Ebanks, visited the site on Thursday, 19 Oct., to check on progress.
Robert Johnson and Tricia Shand, chief operations officer and administrator of the Affordable Housing Initiative, at the National Housing Development Trust provided updates.
In a press release, Ebanks said the ministry recognises the “profound importance of home ownership and its positive impact on our communities”.
“We eagerly anticipate bringing added joy and happiness to families who have eagerly awaited this significant milestone in their lives — homeownership,” he added.
He thanked the National Housing Development Trust which he said has been working “extremely hard” to ensure the project is carried out to the highest standards.
Joining the minister for the site visit were the ministry’s Chief Officer Eric Bush and Deputy Chief Officer Leyda Nicholson-Makasare.
Demand grows
The National Housing Development Trust is a government-owned company under the portfolio of the Ministry of Planning, Agriculture, Housing and Infrastructure.
Its function is to provide quality affordable housing in planned communities to families across Grand Cayman.
It also offers financing opportunities for first-time homeowners with low or middle incomes.
In 2021, National Housing Development Trust general manager Julio Ramos told the Compass that 400 people were on the waiting list for affordable housing.
At the time he said: “We have individuals that have been waiting for two to three years.”
In May, a celebration was held to mark the completion of seven more of the 23 homes that have been built in what will eventually be a 50-house development in East End Gardens.
At the time, Isaac Rankine, then parliamentary secretary at the planning ministry, said demand for affordable housing is “great and growing”, threatening to put the dream out of reach.
“The government is meeting this challenge by developing new solutions to develop high quality and sustainable houses and help Caymanians afford to buy them,” he said.
The trust’s other affordable developments include Apple Blossom Gardens in West Bay, Windsor Park in George Town, Belford Estates in Bodden Town and Ottos Avenue in North Side.
To apply for an affordable home, applicants must hold Caymanian status, reside in the Cayman Islands and not earning more than $6,000 a month or $72,000 a year.
They must be in the age bracket require for repaying a mortgage and employed for at least six months or self-employed for two years.
The home being purchased must be the applicant’s primary residence and they must live there.
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