Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham last night promised to create thousands of new living spaces in southwest New Providence.
Ingraham, who did not give a specific date for the creation of the proposed "South Beach Township", explained his "long-term" vision as he opened the Free National Movement's (FNM) constituency office in that area last night.
"The South Beach Township will include 3,000 high-density residential units mixed with commercial, civic and recreational areas," said Ingraham.
"The housing has a smaller footprint than most Bahamian subdivisions and will be divided into three walkable neighborhoods, with live/work accommodation linked by bike and pedestrian paths as well as roads."
He said space for government offices will also be included.
To help control flooding, preserve tree cover and provide public amenities, Ingraham said the area will have a large neighborhood park with a large lagoon which will grow during severe storms as rainfall drains into it.
"A flushing channel will be excavated along the shoreline to improve tidal flow, provide boat access and create recreational opportunities. The spoil from this dredging will be used to restore the beach dune," he said.
As he touted the attributes of attorney Monique Gomez, who will run on the party's ticket for the area in the upcoming polls, Ingraham also revealed that over 1,100 Bahamians have had electricity restored to their homes under a Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) reconnection plan he announced last week.
Under the plan, customers are required to pay their current electricity bills and to pay something on the overdue amount owed to BEC, however reconnection fees will be waived.
Ingraham said last night, "Now some are saying that we are doing this for election. Well what were we doing it for when we put programs in place to have households reconnected to BEC twice before during this term in office?
"There was no election on the horizon then."
He also lashed out at criticisms Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Deputy Leader Philip 'Brave' Davis recently levied against the FNM over the crime rate.
"There is no 'quick fix' for crime. Pay no mind to those who suddenly now proclaim that they have what they have never had before - a solution to crime," he said.
"I listened to Brave Davis give the PLP plank on crime on [television]. I kept trying to remember when it was that he came to be on the side of the victims of crime.
"Seems he spends a lot of time defending those on the offending side of crime. Perhaps he, like Saul, had a conversion experience on the road to Damascus.  Ask him when?
"As I watched him [Wednesday] night I couldn't get my mind off '90'. I tried really hard to think 80 or 70 or some other number, but as I watched him, it was '90' that kept popping up in my head."
Davis, who is the member of Parliament for Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador, was the lawyer of Bahamian drug lord Samuel "Ninety" Knowles, who was extradited to the United States in 2006 and convicted of drug trafficking in 2008.
The FNM will be in Marco City, Grand Bahama on the weekend, followed by Bamboo Town next week.

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