A long-running effort to bring order to a 100-acre property at Easington, St Thomas, is moving into a new phase, with the municipal corporation preparing to sell residential lots to members of the public as well as people already living on sections of the land.

The move could provide a path to legal ownership for existing occupants while opening another pocket of residential land in a parish where housing and commercial development have accelerated since major improvements to the southern road corridor.

Application packages will become available on September 28, with prospective buyers required to pay a non-refundable $15,000 fee, the municipal corporation has said. Bids are due by November 13 and are scheduled to be publicly opened on November 27.

Chief executive officer of the St Thomas Municipal Corporation Kevin McIndoe said people already occupying parts of the property, located at 45-98 Easington H/E, Yallahs, are being encouraged to formalise their position by applying to buy the lots on which they live.

“We have put out applications inviting members of the public, including persons who are living on the premises as we speak, to formally apply to purchase their house lot,” McIndoe said.

The process brings the corporation closer to disposing of sections of the Easington property after months of discussions around subdivision, regularisation, and possible involvement by State housing agencies.

Earlier this year the corporation disclosed that it was moving to subdivide the approximately 100-acre holding, with one of the objectives being to provide eligible people already occupying the land with an opportunity to obtain legal ownership.

By June, both the Housing Agency of Jamaica and the National Housing Trust had also shown interest in the property. HAJ was preparing to conduct an on-site assessment after reviewing the lands and information held by the National Land Agency, while the NHT was also expected to carry out its own assessment.

The latest notice does not indicate whether either agency subsequently pursued any portion of the property.

Following evaluation of the bids, a recommended list of successful applicants will be sent to minister without portfolio with responsibility for land titling and settlements, Robert Montague for final approval. The National Land Agency will then take over the subsequent stages of the process, the municipal corporation said.

Mayor of Morant Bay Councillor Louis Chin (centre) and chief executive officer of the St Thomas Municipal Corporation Kevin McIndoe (second right) converse with councillor for the Port Morant Division Dinsdale Smith (right) during the corporation’s monthly meeting on September 10. Also pictured (from left) are councillor for the Seaforth Division Sheroo Stephenson and councillor for the Trinityville Division Dean Jones.(JIS)

The municipal corporation has also indicated that flexible payment arrangements are expected to form part of the exercise, a provision that could be particularly important for people who have occupied the land for years but may not be able to finance a purchase in a single payment.

The municipal corporation has not disclosed how many lots will be offered, their individual sizes, or the prices it expects them to fetch. But private residential lots reviewed by the Jamaica Observer in sections of St Thomas are currently being advertised from about $9.5 million to $14 million, depending on size, location, and available infrastructure.

Those asking prices provide only a rough guide to the wider market and may not be directly comparable with the Easington lots. As a government-owned property being disposed of through a structured process — including provisions aimed at giving existing occupants an opportunity to secure legal ownership — the municipal corporation’s eventual pricing and payment terms could differ from those in the private market. Attempts by Sunday Finance to reach the St Thomas Municipal Corporation for further details on the development were unsuccessful.

The Easington sale comes as St Thomas attracts considerably more housing investment than it did just a few years ago.

In May, the National Housing Trust and New Rozelle Properties Limited broke ground for the $9.65-billion Rozelle Estate, a development expected to deliver 895 housing solutions on approximately 187 acres west of the Morant Bay Urban Centre. Of those, 660 units are to be acquired by the NHT, while the developer will retain another 235.

At the launch, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said St Thomas could accommodate approximately 10,000 housing solutions over the next three years, pointing to improved road access, available land, and investment in water infrastructure.

He also said several landowners along the corridor had approached the NHT about either selling land or partnering with the agency on housing projects.

The improved road network has been central to that development push. The upgraded southern corridor has cut travel time between Kingston and St Thomas and opened up greater access to communities stretching from Yallahs through Morant Bay, while the Morant Bay Urban Centre has added a new commercial anchor in the parish.

The more-than-500,000-square-foot urban centre was reported earlier this year to be approximately 80 per cent occupied, with Factories Corporation of Jamaica Chairman Lyttleton Shirley linking expected population growth and new housing developments to the viability of businesses operating there.