Dart plans second 10-storey office block in Camana Bay

Dart’s development arm will soon be applying for permission to build a second 10-storey office block in Camana Bay.

The tower will be located directly next to 60 Nexus Way – the first 10-storey commercial building to be constructed in the Cayman Islands, which officially opened earlier this year.

Architect plans are available online for public inspection until 23 Oct., after which, an application will be sent to the Central Planning Authority for analysis and approval.

They include the site plan, floor plans as well as a detailed design of the building’s façade, and can be found on the Department of Planning website.

Meanwhile, Dart’s Cayman Shores Development has submitted a proposal to add 276-spaces to a carpark that sits alongside the commercial building at a cost of $7 million.

In the applicant’s letter accompanying the plan, the company said construction operations for the proposed tower will be immediately to the west of its footprint.

This will temporarily displace 167 parking spaces and permanently remove 14 from the existing parking lot at 60 Nexus Way, the letter explained.

“This application requests to relocate the displaced parking to ‘Phase 2A’ while 90 Nexus construction is underway,” the developer said.

Accessible spaces

In its analysis of the proposal, the Department of Planning said there is no provision for accessible spaces, despite regulations stipulating that there must be at least seven.

“To address this issue, a condition of approval could be included requiring a revised site plan showing at least seven accessible spaces,” the department said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment said the site for the carpark is located next to a canal and near to the marine environment.

However, the surrounding ring road and mangrove fringe will help to mitigate the impact of hydrocarbon runoff, it said.

“We highly recommend that the applicant considers the incorporation of sustainable design features to help mitigate some of the environmental impacts associated with traditional single-level parking lots,” the department said.

“Integration of renewable energy sources such as solar panels over the parking should be considered to help offset the additional cooling demand resulting from the additional paved area, as well as improve the utilisation of the land by adding other beneficial functions.”

The Central Planning Authority will discuss application for the carpark in its next meeting on Wednesday, 11 Oct., and the decision will be published in the minutes three weeks later.

60 Nexus Way

Cayman’s first 10-storey commercial building, 60 Nexus Way, officially opened in Camana Bay on 20 April, this year.

Among the first tenants were legal firm Appleby, technology-focused investment company, Block.one, professional services firm Deloitte and reinsurance firm, North End RE.

The building was designed in collaboration with Dart’s in-house design team and Texas-based Lake|Flato.

It won Best Office Development in the Americas at the 2023 International Property Awards.

“At 10 storeys, we’re building up rather than out,” said Dart vice president commercial, Chris Lennon, at the time.

“This is an example of our drive for sustainability. Increased density reduces sprawl and delivers greater efficiency, conserving resources.”

The building has over 200,000 square feet of office space, 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, and a rooftop terrace overlooking North Sound and Seven Mile Beach.

Construction on a third 10-storey building in Camana Bay was completed in 2022. Kapok is a residential block containing 89 apartments located opposite Foster’s supermarket.