IN a week’s time, a multi-billion-dollar real estate development will open in Spanish Town, St Catherine, the latest in a string of recent developments that have been quietly taking place in the city, while it slowly sheds its reputation as a haven for crime and criminals.

Once the capital of Jamaica, Spanish Town has been a silent witness to the ebb and flow of time, enduring periods of neglect and decline. However, recent initiatives have sparked a revival of this historic city, aiming to rejuvenate its cultural and economic vitality.

The transformation of Spanish Town is evident in the renewed energy pulsating through its streets. New businesses are opening, public spaces are being revitalised, and there’s another call for the authorities to make a concerted push to promote tourism that celebrates the town’s storied past. The local government and civic organisations are collaborating for that to happen, to ensure that development is sustainable and inclusive, providing opportunities for all citizens. This Jamaica Observer Special Report looks at the foundations of what is happening now as Spanish Town undergoes a rebirth.

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Spanish Town, St Catherine, a place that for years held the top spot for violent crimes in Jamaica, is embracing a new future, one that’s defined by economic resurgence and a shared spirit of optimism.

Expansive warehouses and factory spaces, long dormant and neglected, are now prime targets for investors eager to inject fresh energy and entrepreneurial ventures into the town. Simultaneously, savvy entrepreneurs are capitalising on previously acquired spaces, undertaking ambitious renovation and expansion initiatives to realise their business visions.

On the outskirts of the town, at the corner of White Church Street and the Spanish Town bypass, truckloads of marl are being deposited on some 24 acres of swamp lands that have sat vacant for years.

Scores of Chinese labourers can be seen on site managing the land preparation process for what’s expected to be one of the largest commercial developments in Spanish Town, responding to growing demand.

The property was acquired by Marbella Holdings — a company part-owned by property developer Edward Azan — last year at a price tag of $658 million.

“These guys came in and did some serious developmental works just on the lands itself because it was once a swamp. From where I sit, I know that Courts Jamaica is going to open a location there, a popular auto parts store has secured a spot, a bank and I also understand that a coffee shop will be there,” Norman Scott, the chairman of the St Catherine Municipal Corporation and mayor of Spanish Town, told the
Jamaica Observer in an exclusive interview.

“The developers themselves are doing a gas station with a mini-mart and food court,” he added.

To the west of that property, at the March Pen Road and Spanish Town by-pass intersection, Tools Hardware, which is managed by Jalil Dabdoub, has invested roughly $536 million on the acquisition of the lands and existing building. Titles Office records also show that Tools Hardware acquired the neighbouring property at 3A Corletts Pen. The lands were previously owned by General Industries Limited.

Long-term investor Sagicor Group Jamaica Limited has doubled down on its commitment to Spanish Town by undertaking the development of the New Brunswick Village commercial and residential complex. While Sagicor has long been involved in the commercial property sector in Spanish Town, with projects like the Life of Jamaica (LOJ) plaza in the town’s centre, the new development marks its inaugural venture into mixed-use real estate properties in Spanish Town.

The multi-billion-dollar project features 89 residential units and over 40 commercial units with four anchor clients — Sagicor Bank, Sagicor Life, Island Grill and pharmaceutical company RA Williams Distributors Limited.

“We’re very pleased to be able to bring this development to the market in a time when many persons are looking for residential options that are accessible and well-connected to the Corporate Area, but do not want to, or cannot afford to live inside the metropolis,” Donnette Scarlett, Sagicor Group Jamaica’s senior vice-president – group treasury & asset management, said.

On the commercial side, Scarlett says Brunswick is an attractive location since it’s very visible and easily accessible, without the heavy congestion and other concerns that would have come from being in the town centre.

“It also has a modern facility to which they can tie their brands, and the residential community directly behind it, adds a natural flow of prospective customers,” she continued.

Scarlett also highlighted Spanish Town’s ease of access to the leg of the Edward Seaga Highway which is accessed at Angels to the north of the town, providing easy access to Kingston and the north coast, plus the development’s proximity to conveniences and top-rated schools in the parish.

Amidst the bustling commercial activities of the town are ‘construction-in-progress’ signs dotting the landscape.

Morgan’s Funeral Home stands out prominently, undergoing a significant upgrade from its previous single-storey establishment to a spacious three-storey building to accommodate its growing clientèle. The business, now operated by Carl Morgan and his wife Jacqueline, was founded by George D Morgan and his wife Rosa in the 1970s at 16 Wellington Street in the heart of the Town.

It’s one of the few companies that have stayed in business despite the upsurge in violence in and around the town over the past five decades, possibly owing to the essential services it provides to Spanish Town and its environs in times of sorrow.

St Jago Farms and Supplies, another business that has operated uninterrupted by gang feuds — except in times of mass shootings and death of alleged gangsters which causes the entire town to shut down — also recently completed an expansion.

The freshly painted concrete walls and glass windows run in stark contrast to the neighbouring old red-brick structures which today serve as a reminder of the town’s rich history.

Spanish Town had its glory days, long before the formation of the infamous One Order and Klansman gangs, which are alleged to be responsible for several murders, robberies, and extortion activities in the town and its surrounding environs.

“It was the mecca of Jamaica. There were many sugar factories in and around the town, but all of them have gone under except for Worthy Park Estate,” Mayor Scott recalled.

“Then there were other companies that fed out of the sugar companies like Ricketts and Coleman, Berrick, and Pak Limited which was an engineering company that did all the engineering work and parts sourcing for the sugar companies. But with the disappearance of the sugar companies, those companies also moved their business from the town,” he said.

The town was also home to the largest employer of labourers back in the day, through a company called Ariguanabo Textile Company of Jamaica, more commonly known as Textile Mills.

“In my days Textile Mills would run three shifts and quite a few thousand women were employed by this company,” he said.

“Then you had a couple of brassiere factories. I remember on Valdes Road, Old Harbour Road; there were quite a number of brassiere factories. However, because of competition from China, India and Thailand cotton and polyester factories, these businesses eventually died in Jamaica,” he continued.

But the town’s rich history predates that, back to 1534 when Spanish Town, previously called Villa de la Vega, was founded by Spanish colonists. It became the capital of Jamaica in 1538 and was the seat of Spanish and British colonial governments for some 333 years.

Spanish Town remained the capital under the British until 1872 when the young city of Kingston assumed that honour. Emancipation Square was the home of the British colonial seat of government, the Parish Council and House of Assembly, the island’s archives, the Supreme Court and the first King’s House, the residence of many colonial governors.

Built in the mid-1700s and burnt in a fire in 1925, the colonnaded portico and façade of King’s House are all that remain. In 1838 the proclamation of the abolition of slavery was read from the steps of King’s House.

“A lot of people don’t know that Spanish Town and St Catherine contributed more to Jamaica’s GDP [gross domestic product] than all the parishes combined. Spanish Town was chosen as the place for the Spanish to settle because the land was good for farming, it had the river which was good for health, it was close to Kingston Harbour, but the inland location also provided the safety the Spanish needed.

“Today, St Catherine is still one of the most viable areas in Jamaica. Geographically, we are in the middle of the country so to speak, and in technical terms, Spanish Town is almost the most select area because you have to pass through the town to get to so many parishes,” Dennis Robotham, president of the St Catherine Chamber of Commerce, said.

Still, if you mention the words “Spanish Town” to some Jamaicans, that history is not at the forefront of their minds.

Instead, they’ll tell you: “A bad man place that man…de suh a wey man used to tek off man head and lef it fi sen a message to him enemies. Yuh nuh guh dem place deh unless you a bad man too,” a past resident, who identified himself only as Blacks, told the Jamaica Observer.

“People used to fraid, fraid a even dem shadow back in the day when man like Bubba a run di place. But things cool down ya now,” he continued.

‘Bubba’, whose given name is Oliver Smith, a leader of the One Order Gang, was shot and killed in 2004 allegedly by his own cronies in a dispute over the spoils from a robbery.

He is one of many gang leaders in Spanish Town that have died over the past two decades, an occurrence that, in theory, signals peace for the town. But in reality, a gang leader’s death typically results in days of sporadic violence and uneasiness in the town from members of the affected gangs who sow disorder with the burning of market and streetside stalls, blocked roads and bonfires. The gang members also warn vendors to stay off the streets and order business owners to keep their doors shut.

“Up to 2010, crime in Spanish Town was so devastating, not that it’s at an acceptable level now, but people were basically afraid of themselves to put it in a simple way. Today, if you talk to business people they will tell you about extortion, but it’s more of an illusion than a reality.

“I also have my own little business in the town and I don’t get harassed. People will say it’s because I am the mayor…maybe, maybe not; but the undeniable truth is that the atmosphere for business in Spanish Town is much more relaxed than years gone by,” Scott said.

Although fatalities have decreased, the lingering effects of past events persist to this day. Nevertheless, investors are bullish on exploiting opportunities in and around the town, keeping true to the adage that ‘in the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity’.

Spanish Town, originally founded on an economy centred around cow hides and lard, today offers several products and services across various sectors. One of the town’s newest offering is contact centre BPO services through a company called Transparent BPO, which leases a 2,500-seat turnkey facility at MJS Tech Park.

MJS Tech Park, a development led by Micheal Subratie, is the old Ariguanabo textile factory that has since been transformed into a modern industrial park on the northern outskirts of Spanish Town.

The renovation of the 15-acre complex began in October 2021 and is now home to several businesses including Honey Bun, which is setting up a new production plant on site. Sagility, formerly HGS Healthcare, has also invested US$7 million to set up a fifth call centre operation at the recently renovated MJS Tech Park. The operation accommodates 1,200 employees, 400 of whom will be new hires.

Overall, the renovation of the old textile mill into MJS Industrial Park has brought some 4,000 jobs to Spanish Town. The facility is licensed as a Special Economic Zone operator.

“MJS is doing a real good job with the turnaround of that old factory. It’s a multi-billion business model to really take Spanish Town further…What people need to remember is that Prime Minister Bruce Golding in his wisdom, a Spanish Town man, gave tax concessions for companies to establish themselves here and companies like GraceKennedy, Cari-Med and Caribbean Broilers would have been beneficiaries,” Mayor Scott said.

Those big businesses spurred the development of communities and alongside that came small retail trade.

But in recent times there has been growing interest from the Chinese community, Chamber President Robotham told the Observer and their involvement in Spanish Town extends beyond mere business ventures; they are venturing into real estate development as well.

“If you walk through the town, you can see where the Chinese have put expensive structures on Young Street, Wellington Street and so on; and even if they are not the property owners, they are the ones operating the businesses.

“In fact, they are not only doing business in Spanish Town, they are going into real estate development. Based on all that’s happening in the town, I’m of the view that Spanish Town and St Catherine will get back to being the mecca of Jamaica,” he added.