MONTEGO BAY, St James — Montego Bay Resorts Development Limited on Friday broke ground for a US$100-million complex which will feature luxurious, mixed resort-style living along with residential and commercial spaces on the famous Hip Strip in this tourist resort city.

The development, which is expected to be completed in 48 months, is a joint venture between C & H Property Development Company Limited and MoneyMasters Real Estate and Infrastructure Investment Limited.

It is expected to generate 300 jobs during construction and will be done in four phases. Phase one will see the development of 30 units consisting of one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites, a loft unit, as well as two 1,075-square-foot penthouse units. Phases two, three and four will each include residential and commercial spaces. Each tower will comprise studios, one-bedroom, and two bedroom suites as well as approximately 10,000 square feet of commercial space.

Each phase will be completed separately with the primary focus currently being on phase one.

Developers say they are targeting residents and investors wishing to reside in luxurious atmosphere, benefiting from the seclusion of resort-like living while having easy and hassle-free access to the finest amenities, including restaurants, a spa, gym, tennis and badminton courts, putting green, swimming pools, along with iconic beaches.

Delivering the keynote address at the ground-breaking ceremony, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said rampant violence was strangling the country and serving to undermine the confidence of investors.

“I really hate to say it, but I have to say it, because this confidence that we are seeing in business is being deeply undermined by the antisocial behaviour of our people. It’s not an easy call for a tourism minister to market with these issues. It is not an easy call for an investment minister to bring investment with these issues,” he said.

“These [crime] issues are not foreign issues; these are local issues generated by our people, and it is our responsibility, not one man’s responsibility, not an agency’s responsibility, not even a Government’s only responsibility. It is the nation’s responsibility, it is our responsibility, brothers and sisters, to stem this tide of lawlessness and insecurity that is facing us,” Bartlett stated.

He added: “US$100 million really means nothing if we don’t deal with this issue. And don’t look at your neighbour, look at yourself first and let us say to ourselves, each of us have that responsibility, not you… I.

“We are too small a country, and everybody is related to everybody in one way or the other,” said Bartlett as he appealed to Jamaicans to play their roles in fighting crime.

At the same time, the minister predicted that, “Montego Bay, as a city, is going to be the most significant in Latin and Central America in the next five years for sure”, given the developments that are projected.

“What I can say to you is that this Administration is satisfied that Montego Bay has the potential for a transformation into a resort town development the likeness of which does not exist anywhere in the Americas,” he stated.