A UK-based property developer is spearheading a push to turn 600 acres of South Andros into an "ecological premier international village resort", featuring four hotels, at least 1,750 residential units, a marina village and a golf course, estimated to be valued at $1 billion at full build out and to add $900 million to the Bahamian economy.
Stephen House, president of South Andros International Company Limited (SAICL), said that he believes the project could play a role in "balancing" the economic development of The Bahamas by establishing a major resort on the large and underdeveloped island.
"There's two miles of palm fringed beach, it's 10 minutes from the airport, there's a port of entry and a lot of natural terrain around to make sure this project can start to sell a part of The Bahamas that hasn't yet been sold," said House in an interview with Guardian Business.
At 2,300 square miles, Andros is the largest island in The Bahamas and the fifth largest in the Caribbean. For now, it contains just a handful of small lodges and inns, along with the Tiamo and Kamalame Cay resorts.
After holding off during the global financial crisis, House and his international team feel that the time is right to launch the 10- to 15-year phased project, targeted for the north-east coast of South Andros, between Driggs Hill and Congo Town.
The government is presently considering a proposal, master plan and draft heads of agreement that House and his team have put before it. House said he is confident about the prospects for receiving conditional approvals.
"It's been a lot of work, a lot of planning in getting the concept together. I've given it a three- or four-year wide berth because of the international investment market. I'm ready to go now, we are ready to try to conclude issues," said House.
SAICL owns outright the 600 acres in South Andros, and has for over twenty years, providing House with the freedom from financier-related pressure to hold off until the ideal time.
In addition to "two major international hotels" and two "boutique" hotels of around 40 to 50 rooms each, and residential units ranging from standalone beach front luxury villas to townhouses and condos, some of the proposal's more unique features include plans to utilize renewable power generation in the form of a solar field; to integrate the latest materials and most advanced technology into the project; to highlight the many blue holes and to capitalize on the resort's proximity to the world's third-largest great barrier reef, located just a few hundred yards from the proposed resort's beach.
"The architect has designed the project around highlighting the prominence of the blue holes. We're trying to package The Bahamas in with the project, to sell us and sell The Bahamas," said House.
A golf course is also being proposed for the project, which House describes as "exciting in the way it's been conceived, as it runs through the project, creating greenery and interest throughout".
The master plan has been prepared by a Madrid-based architectural firm with extensive resort, hotel and hospitality credentials. It is headed by Carlos Langdon-Ruiz, who leads a team of international and Bahamian professionals, said House, including Gleeds, an international management and construction consultancy; European Golf Design, owned by the European Tour and IMG; Sunco Builders & Developers, Islands By Design; and others.
The team has been assembled by SAICL to conceive and deliver the project to "the highest standards", with the intention of creating a community that can "function autonomously while paying special regard to maintaining and enhancing the integrity of the environment," said House.
"The ecology of the site and immediate vicinity will be treated with sensitivity to maximize awareness of the location and setting, further guaranteeing the long-term protection of the immediate environs and enhancing the prominence, quality and desirability of the project, enhanced by the architect's low rise - 'nothing higher than a palm tree' - vision," he added.
Meanwhile, the developer said he has high hopes that the resort can help to stimulate more local economic activity, particularly in the area of agriculture, with this having positive spillover effects for The Bahamas at large.
"We would like to be very geared towards self sufficiency in agriculture and other products/services. We want to be able to get local people to provide us with those things.
"We really want to bring businesses forward to service us and the country in general, and the land is there to allow some of these things to develop very nicely," he said.
House said he has some "serious funding in the wings" into which he is proposing to tap.
"I can consider one or two options to use - one route has not been done yet - which are quite exciting and will bring another party into the Caribbean arena who is not active yet," he said.
House has estimated that an annual average of 500 construction jobs will be created over the phased program, culminating in 1,000 plus jobs in operations/management on completion.
The developer plans to visit Nassau again in February to further advance the proposal.

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