THE agreement to construct the 436,000-square-foot Morant Bay Urban Centre at the site of the old Goodyear factory in St Thomas was signed on March 16, 2022 between the Factories Corporation of Jamaica Limited (FCJ), China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) and National Commercial Bank (NCB).

Since the ground-breaking in 2019, the start of construction has seen delays due mainly to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The project is costed at $5.9 billion, with the construction loan signed by NCB.

CHEC Country Manager Dangran Bi said at the signing the timing was right to begin construction.

The FCJ states there is increased demand for additional commercial space in St Thomas, which has moved the square footage of the planned development from 365,000 to 436,000 square feet.

It has also moved the construction cost from $5 billion to $5.9 billion. FCJ Chairman Tanny Shirley said at the signing event, “We had to look at the recent escalation in construction costs and we had to work along with CHEC to do the necessary adjustments to ensure that we maintain the projected cost that was approved by NCB to build. That was not an easy task, and I want to thank CHEC for their cooperation and their understanding.”

The Morant Bay Urban Centre will see the amalgamation of services provided by the Government of Jamaica and the private sector.

Among the entities to take up space at the development are the St Thomas Municipal Corporation, the Ministry of Justice through the St Thomas Parish Court, other government entities located in Morant Bay, and several private sector companies to include KFC, Burger King and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.