The Portmore Municipal Council (PMC) has announced plans to erect a $100-million one-stop shop for government agencies in the sprawling St Catherine community.

Mayor of the municipality, George Lee said the complex would be built on a four-acre property in the vicinity of the 100-man Police Station and the Caribbean Estates Housing development, west of the capital, Kingston.

“We are in rented premises and the rent is very high so we want to establish our headquarters,” Lee, the first directly elected Jamaican mayor, offered as the reason for the proposed structure.

Acknowledging that the Council on its own could not foot the entire bill for the complex, Lee told the Observer that the PMC had embarked on a drive to partner with a mix of public and private companies.

“We know that there are some government agencies that will want to establish offices in Portmore now or in the future so we came up with the idea of the joint venture where a developer will provide our headquarters and the other offices, whether for rent or lease or sale,” Lee said.

He added that the Council had put the offer to tender in the press, seeking to attract partners for the joint venture scheme, and would be negotiating with a number of the developers to secure the most beneficial arrangement for the partnership.

“The Portmore Municipal Council is requesting developers/financiers to participate in a joint venture project for the construction of a municipal complex.

This development represents a viable investment opportunity based on the provision of a municipal office complex, government entities (and) private office space,” the press notice read. Bids are expected to be submitted by July 31.

In his bid to paint Portmore as an attractive place to invest, Mayor Lee disclosed that the compliance rate among property owners in the municipality had improved significantly over the past three months, jumping from 29 per cent to 60 per cent.