Discussion of the proposed $55 million development called The Pearl at the former Black Pearl Skate Park in Grand Harbour was adjourned this week, after the planning board decided that the National Roads Authority first needed to respond to further information provided by the developers.
Property developers Project.ky applied to the Central Planning Authority for planning permission for The Pearl, a residential and commercial complex consisting of 74 homes around a central lagoon, an indoor food hall, an indoor recreation centre, and an outdoor bar and restaurant.
While there are no objectors to the plans, the National Roads Authority had said that it was concerned with a development of this size being located between Grand Harbour due to the existing traffic build-up in the area that can lead to bottlenecks, especially during the evenings.
A traffic impact assessment was carried out at the end of May by Reed Consulting Engineers, but the roads authority said that further explanations and clarifications were needed on the assessment’s findings.
Acting for the developers, Jessica Peacey of PPDS, had submitted a response to the National Roads Authority’s comments, but the Central Planning Authority said on Wednesday that the roads authority needed to submit its response in turn and the meeting was adjourned.
‘Red flag’
Ian Pairaudeau, Central Planning Authority chair, acknowledged that there was a difference of opinion between the two sides and said that the fact that the roads authority had come out against the project was a “red flag”, adding, “The NRA is the expert for the government and we have to follow their guidance as much as we feel is appropriate.”
All sides agreed that it would be a good idea for the National Roads Authority to meet with the developers to discuss the traffic issue face-to-face, rather than going via Central Planning Authority submissions each time, but the board promised to press the roads authority on points raised by The Pearl’s developers in their response.
Paul Blount of Living.ky, who is working with business partner Harry Webber on the development, said after the meeting that he was “frustrated” at the delay, having produced the traffic impact assessment to the roads authority’s specific guidelines.
He said that he had asked “on multiple occasions for a meeting with NRA to go through this and to gain a better understanding as to why the new feeder road and access to the new reconstructed roundabout was ignored in in the initial assessment”, and said that he was going to try again to meet with them ahead of the next planning meeting.
Community benefits
Blount and Webber said that they were both still optimistic about the project.
“We’ve had no objections from the public and everyone seems to be really well engaged with it,” said Webber. “The loss of the skate park is a shame, but we’re giving community benefits back in other ways.”
Said Blount: “We’re putting a development in place that allows people to get off the road and walk to the grocery store and all the amenities in Grand Harbour, so we believe that we’re actually putting people in homes which would lessen the impact of traffic in Cayman in general.”
The issue will be rescheduled for discussion by the Central Planning Authority in a future meeting.
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This is terrible. Worst roundabout in history is Grand Harbor thanks to not closing off the side coming from Hurleys in the morning as initially promised.
Wonder how many politicians lining their pockets in this project. There’s a few Caymanians getting rich on this by building on the land yet they had “no objections”. I sure ain’t going to see a dollar yet no one complains. This is how my fellow Caymanians get rich. Sell our land for mega builds.
There is no schools near by so everyone further down the road can enjoy sitting in the school traffic since the government doesn’t address the elephant in the room- school traffic is what causes 99% of the traffic. It’s clear over the summer. This development a joke though.
Let the lack of accountability commence.