Dart’s tower may be built on tunnels
(CNS): The controversial proposal by the Dart group of companies to build what is being described as an “iconic tower”, or a skyscraper, which, if it goes ahead, would be the tallest building in the Caribbean, could very well be built on the tunnels the company has already constructed across the West Bay Road and Esterley Tibbetts Highway. At a planning meeting last week, Cayman Shores, one of Dart’s network of companies, was granted planning permission for a three-lot volumetric subdivision, or 3D parcels, paving the way for upward development on the overpasses.
Following the approval of the air lots, which Dart said was already agreed as part of the NRA deal, an agreement struck between the government and the developer, it believes that this is the most suitable spot for the proposed tower.
Responding to CNS enquiries about what the group has planned now it has official planning permission for the concept of upward development, Justin Howe, Executive Vice President of Asset Management and Development Planning at Dart, pointed to the long-term goal of the Cayman Islands’ largest investor to create a sea-to-sound connection in the area of Camana Bay.
“The NRA agreement with the Cayman Islands Government provided much needed infrastructure with the expansion of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway as well as the development of underpasses, where people can safely walk from the town centre to Seven Mile Beach without crossing any major roads or impacting traffic flow,” he said.
Howe added that the master plan had reflected a resort with retail, restaurants and commercial units along an elevated plane over the two roads, with parking underneath.
“We are now considering this as the logical location for the proposed iconic tower, a world class resort which would include a five-star luxury hotel, branded residential, amenities and facilities with significant setbacks from the beach. We are still in the early stages of conceptualisation and no plans have been finalised,” Howe stated.
The Seven Mile Beach area currently has a height restriction for any development of ten storeys but government has already indicated its willingness to reconsider that limit. While the premier has described the issue as merely a talking point for now, Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush, the premier’s coalition partner in the Unity Government, has made it clear he believes the necessary legislative amendments will be made and the project will be going ahead.
Meanwhile, Dart said the air parcels above the Esterley Tibbetts Highway and West Bay Road established progressive new legislation allowing the development of volumetric lots. This has already been taken advantage of by local developers, and Davenport Development was the first to receive planning permission for its ‘Arvia’ project, a 96-home development in Grand Harbour.
Category: development, Local News
Dart has been the catalyst for most of the development on Grand Cayman. Without him, it would still be a poor sad little place.
You fool we would much prefer our little nesting place to have been much less developed abd live in peace and tranquility that the world so desires
I second this Denver!
They should ask Bernie how solid our ground is.
HEY! Look over here at this absurd tower! It’s going to be as tall as the clouds and bring 10’s of thousands of foreigners and gays here! What port? Don’t you worry about any port or dump. There is no port or dump. Just you worry about skyscrapers instead!
Aldart and Mac’s Tower of Babel.
I don’t like the idea of tunnels limiting the height of passing vehicles and trucks.
Styrofoam and plastics are doomed.
Perhaps DR can handle 60 storey towers but can Cayman’s morass, (i.e. mangrove swamp) now known as Camana Bay, handle 30 storeys? Of course it won’t be a Government project so real expertise will be called upon to study the soil and sub-soil and I imagine appropriate foundations will be built by real experts.
Anyway even well built towers have been known to “settle” (sink).
Dart vision thus far – buy up local retail businesses, invest in local real estate, build tunnels and roads to get you to and fro between this real estate and stores.
Boring, boring, boring…..
Was hoping for something forward thinking – maybe alternative energy, tech incubators, space travel, and a f———- decent and truly iconic tower.
A tower to outstrip all towers in the world.
Now that’s visionary… the government and planning board would approve such a plan, forthwith!
The Dart vision does not include sustainability and renewable energy such as solar power. Cayman could be the Caribbean leader in solar energy but Dart lacks the vision.
Lol. You should check Google Earth and have a look on the rooftops at Camana Bay
3:37pm, exactly right, solar power for Camana Bay.
your vision is just as narrow.
SMH….
While everyone has been freaking out about the proposed tower I wonder what else they have purchased?!! I heard something big is happening- Growth and innovation is good for cayman. Are the rumors true? Not even sure that It’s Dart who ate the drivers?!! Surely some of those impacted can verify
*are the drivers…
It’s perfectly possibly to build a stable 25+ floor building on an oceanic island – see beautiful Male in Maldives – https://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings/country/100099/maldives
Cayman’s new vision- https://www.freeimages.com/premium/aerial-view-of-male-maldives-capital-1124110
Small footprint on top of a tunnel – doubt it. The question is not whether it is possible or will stand up, it is more about the monumental footprint it will need. The base of this tower will be wider than literally anything we currently have, even before thinking about height. We’ll be paying tolls to get to GT from WB (maybe from WB to GT only).
The basement basalts underlying the atolls of the Maldives.
Caymans have a granodiorite base, followed by a cap of basalt. The upper most geologic layer of the Caymans is composed mostly of carbonates.The central part of each of the Caymans is formed of limestones and dolostones.
Thanks for the geology information. However, our country is named The Cayman Islands not The Caymans. Feel free to refer to Grand Cayman as simply Cayman but never with a “The”. Consider referring to The Virgin Islands or The Channel Islands using similar short form.
Good job 4:36. And they should also learn to pronounce Cayman properly.
It is pronounced “ CAY-MAN “ with the ‘A’ not sounding like an ‘E’. The proper pronunciation is not CAYMEN !!!
Saying “Cay-man” sounds fine. Saying that “Cay-man Islands” sounds affected. Calling a person “they” sounds ignorant, or, if you’re referring to all those who come here from other places as “they,” sounds like you’re a Donald Trumpite.
I love it when some airlines ( NOT KX) refer to arriving here as in ‘ The Grand Cayman Islands “.
This idea of the need to grow vertically on a small island to accommodate growth illustrates a common and persistent human stupidity. Like other societies we can’t or won’t halt/control population growth because our economy relies on more people buying more stuff. Okay, so where does it end? Obviously Grand Cayman cannot accommodate a billion people, so at some point between now and then the population will stop growing. But when it does the natural environment we know will be a distant memory and the quality of life for most will likely be terrible.
Here’s a crazy, radical thought: Why not come up with a long-term plan that will transition Cayman to a society and economy that prioritizes quality of life over quantity of bodies?
#lame
How can a 50-story high-rise survive an earthquake? See what it takes. https://www.bbva.com/en/can-50-story-high-rise-survive-earthquake/
Excavation for a tower in Toronto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxpM7ZixUmI
Excellent points, well done. We have to consider that if the tower is built and fails, what cost to all of us. I think such a tower should not be allowed on our sleepy little island, but aside from my NIMBYism, we simply do not and can not have the geological foundation to support such a structure. Moreover, the vertical and lateral forces can cause compressive shear.
That’s not even factoring wind loads, in which a structure depends upon the integrity of the foundation and the shearing strength to resist failure.
All superstructure foundations are much wider than the footprint of the structure. They have to be. It is the only thing so far in human history that works to spread out the load. Wide and deep. Does that sound like it is suitable for anywhere in the Cayman Islands?
Who ever wrote to post you are are so right! The Government is like little puppy dogs following the big dog all for the sake of the almighty Dollar! Mr. Dart what you have coming to you. Your money won’t be able to save you! Your day is numbered unfortunately due to the disrespect you have shown to the Caymanian way of life. Our dead ancestors weep in their graves over what you are doing to their beloved island! My father called his precious Cayman THE ROCK. He would weep like a baby seeing what you have done to his ROCK! Mr. Dart you will go down in HISTORY as the man that destroyed a peaceful sleepy island that the tourists loved to visit for its natural beauty and last but not least “It’s beautiful people”. When the people opened their arms to embrace you they didn’t think you would make the island into something the tourists were running away from. We don’t need another Miami Beach. People want a place that has a natural Caribbean lifestyle. But unfortunately you don’t really care about what the tourists or the true Caymanian people want. You are going to be so disappointed to see that all of your plans for this little Island will backfire. BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL ISLAND IS NOT WHAT THE CAYMAN ISLANDS NEED.
And are we not on the edge of an earthquake fault?
6.41pm Are you talking about the Govt Admin Building?.
Ha!
Yes we are on the edge of a tectonic plate.
3.56pm What about a tsunami, just as likely!.
Well this is a f@#king surprise…not.
How in to the f——— hell does “not” relate to what you trying to say?
Take it easy Francis. He’s just saying that it’s not a surprise.
Speaking of Dart’s tunnels, is there any reason why their heights aren’t marked on them like tunnels all over the world? I had to transport a large hi-top van to George Town on a flatbed tow truck and since I didn’t know the height of the tunnels and didn’t want the top of my van torn off, the tow truck had to drive through the centre of Camana Bay. Thank God I wasn’t transporting a building – which does happen from time to time!!
CNS – can you inquire into why these tunnels aren’t marked please?
CNS: I’ve forwarded the question to Auntie.
Engineers are scratching their heads for more than 10 years for Millennium Tower in San Francisco is sinking and leaning.
It’s built partially on landfill dating back to the Expo of the 1900s. Liquifaction over the years has caused a supercompaction on one side, and a deformation on the other.
Great example, thank you. Exactly the type of scenario we could be facing.
If the DR can handle 60 stories, 50 should be pretty straightforward for us, a supposed 1st world country
You should stay in DR then!
The Dominican Republic is part of the continent of North America. Grand Cayman is an oceanic island. Building a foundation for a skyscraper on a continental vs.oceanic island is quite different.
*Continental islands were once connected to a continent. They still sit on the continental shelf.
*Oceanic islands also known as volcanic islands, are formed by eruptions of volcanoes on the ocean floor. They are not part of continental shelf areas, they are not, and have never been, connected to a continental land mass, most typically these are volcanic islands.
* Tidal islands are a type of continental island where land connecting the island to the mainland has not completely eroded, but is underwater at high tide.
*Barrier islands are narrow and lie parallel to coastlines. Some are a part of the continental shelf (continental islands) and made of sediment—sand, silt, and gravel. Barrier islands can also be coral islands, made from billions of tiny coral exoskeletons.
Actually Cayman is on the uplifted southern edge of the North American plate. It sits on the continental bedrock.The boundary with the Caribbean plate is the Cayman Trench south of Grand Cayman. Cayman is not a volcanic island. Don’t they teach you this in school?
The Caymans have a granodiorite base, followed by a cap of basalt. The upper most geologic layer of the Caymans is composed mostly of carbonates.The central part of each of the Caymans is formed of limestones and dolostones …
http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/student/unruh1/webpage.html
Go figure …..
Q. What is the geological origin of the Cayman Islands? When (approximately) were they formed? Have they been submerged since then? Were they formed by uplift out of the sea or did they break off of some existing landmass?
A #1
The Cayman are formed entirely from calcareous marine deposits, with no volcanic or any other type of rock as part of its geology, so they are not volcanic islands.
They rose from the ocean about ten million years ago, as part of a mostly submerged ridge formed by the clash between the Caribbean and North American plates that formed the Cayman Trough
A #2 Cayman like Jamaica is the top of a Volcanic Island. Perhaps formed a few million years ago. They might have formed under the sea or they might have shot up in a volcanic eruption. At any rate Cayman still manifests its volcanic origin in hell. Hell is a town on the coast of Cayman where you can still see lava extrusions standing up all across the land.
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-geological-origin-of-the-Cayman-Islands-When-approximately-were-they-formed-Have-they-been-submerged-since-then-Were-they-formed-by-uplift-out-of-the-sea-or-did-they-break-off-of-some-existing-landmass
In either case it looks like the Cayman doesn’t sit on continental bedrock as 6:32pm is stating. May be several kilometers down the surface.
CNS, it would be interesting to know for sure. Is there a chief geologist or something, who really knows? Google is not a good source in this case.
CNS: I’ve pass the question onto Auntie.
Not volcanic.
Simply not true. There has been volcanic activity in the geologic activity of the 3 Cayman Islands over thousands of years.
All they care about is building it and selling it; the fact that it will fall on hundreds of homes and businesses some day is irrelevant to them.
Put it on top of Mt Trashmore and get an extra 10 stories free!
Imagine the unobstructed view of the dump, priceless! million dollar view of garbage.
I have been lucky enough to live here for almost 30 years. I feel lucky that I was here ‘back in the day’, the salad days when even the attitudes were kinder. My heart genuinely goes out to all Caymanians young and old.
You and your parents/friends/relatives/neighbors and your government have been selling out to this man for the past 15+ years. I’m not sure what you expected but your naiveté is utterly shocking, like most islanders and those from small communites. Small minded and poorly educated. and then blame everything on dem dang foreigners.
Dah wha ya get!
Agreed , and thank God there is still a peaceful South Sound .
Buying there away from the traffic jammed over populated frenzy of overpriced
Dartistan.
The Chinese coming for your ass
The Chinese are quietly buying up all of South Sound.
2.59 Dart is an American , why are you not saying the Americans are buying up all of the West Bay peninsula?
He is not an American any-longer
No, he’s not.
LOL!
But some really great Chinese restaurants will soon be coming to South Sound right after CHEC gets the OK for the new port.
Looking forward to some great eating.
You soon be begging Dart to buy out the Chinese
Peaceful South Sound!!, are you asleep all day?.
You are right. The DART man knew this and hedged his bets that a small minded and poorly educated community would very well turn over their prized possessions over time when cash was dangled in front of them. He won…
I have another great idea for Mr. Dart. How about a 50 story “3D volumetric iconic” building spanning from the KAABOO site to the yacht club, in the shape of an arch, one leg sitting on KAABOO the other on yacht club land and the 50th story over ETH with a swimming pool at the very top and “pop up” bars. No one’s gonna out iconic that one.
What a cartoonland Grand Cayman is fast becoming.
I recall this was part of Vision 2008 – said no one
Dart may be generally assumed to have the funds to finance these endeavors, acquire consent and disposable expertise, but it does not have the current staff capacity nor bandwidth to handle the static management of it’s current property portfolio, let alone multi-pronged offensives of new hotels, offices, and special events. Quality of effort and good faith have slid considerably in recent years. CPA should not be approving ANYTHING for DRCL, DECCO, or any other affiliate or nominee, until the mother ship can clearly demonstrate operational competency and staffing, to address the unfinished eyesores, satisfy contractual obligations (including fulfilling their obligations in regards to the NRA Agreement), disputes resolution, and upkeep and maintenance of their holdings. At some point, a good government should say, “maybe, but before that can happen…”, especially in consideration of the right of way of many voters that have been left tossed in the wake.
Is that the same CPA that has members who benefit from the sale of hardware?
I love DART! I just wish that the government would seek consultation with other BOTs who have been doing things right. Bermuda has a great incinerator and waste to energy plant going. They have a dedicated bus and ferry service where they use the same busses that drops school children to school to offer dedicated bus services to the public, a bust arrives at the bust lay by every 15 minutes and a ferry docks every 15 minites at all docks. That’s good economic sense if you ask me. Why let the busses sit idle all day after the school children are dropped of? It’s a viable revenue scheme, people are crying about the port and loss of jobs by the tenders, that’s because we lack vision. Create a ferry service using the same tenders. Now pay me for my free consultation! There are so many things I see which I could lend some experience to, however, was there an avenue on the government web site where you can provide ideas, I could have placed a few and I know there are many other persons who have ideas they would like to lend which could save the Govt loads on so called consultancy fees.
Bermuda has a great new airport too built by the Canadians. Plus, a brilliant bus system.
Stupid socks and dumb shorts are the counterbalance
That’s a hell of a counterbalance. I know which one I would take.
I love socks and shorts Bermudians wear.
CNS:
Cayman Islands media remains mute on the recent passing of Owen Matelon, Jamaican real estate pioneer, regional affordable housing developer, and author of former Safehaven golf course and Waterways condo development. It would be fitting for somebody to say something, if we are still pretending to be a nice and civil people.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/herald/obituary.aspx?n=owen-joseph-matalon&pid=193202047&fhid=9148
He was a very nice gentleman
DART 2021
can Dart just build a damn recycling facility first? Good news w/ the Humane Society space, not take care of the damn dump… then build your stupid tower of doom!
Trying, wonder what(or who) the hold-up is?
https://caymannewsservice.com/2017/10/dart-consortium-finally-wins-dump-deal/
I’m sure he will as soon as the professionally offended victim class stop their protest to every development proposition.
That’s the whole scammy pat of this. He will hold that over us until he gets everything he wants.
If anyone doubts this, then we know where your head and hands are.
You realize it is not Dart holding this up. They more than anyone wants the Mount Trashmore (green iguana crematorium) taken care of.
So 11:34, pray tell, who exactly is holding the project up?
Not one single person outside of Dart (and even most inside Dart) organization want this type of building anywhere in Cayman.
NOT ONE
This is the worst thing that could happen to Cayman.
This is the end of Cayman as we know it.
Thanks Mac.
How about me? Im not in the Dart group and think it would be a fantastic addition to the islands.
Post with your full name if you really believe it and are not a troll.
I am rubber, you are glue..
Wrong. I know lots of people who think it would be great.The issue will be the infrastructure to support it. Traffic jams will be huge.
So it would be great — in a vacuum?
If the impacts, such as traffic jams, tons of new workers to service it, totally changing our ambience, etc, etc, how can you think it “would be great”?
Personally, I am no engineer, but I don’t see how the tunnel could support a building of that height. And how could traffic continue with all that construction going on? I suppose traffic would be diverted to the bypass.
In any case, I visualize it as a monstrosity in the middle of West Bay Road.
I would support it if third party (not exclusively DART) companies got substantial work building it, finishing it, marketing it, operating it, leasing and selling it. If Caymanians were actually employed in it. If some of the properties in it were affordable to local people, and stamp duties were charged on sales, and import duties charged for materials, it managed its own waste, and contributed to Island wide transportation infrastructure given the population growth it will drive.
None of that appears likely.
Exactly 11.14 they have their own real estate company, contractors marketing financing and import Duty? What’s import duty and planning fees?
It’s called progress man
I bet it’s not going to happen. The cost would be astronomical even for Dart. Just to get a picture what it is like to build a skyscraper go on YouTube, plenty of videos. What it is like to live near a skyscraper construction site? How construction is going affect structural stability of the existing nearby building for piles must go 50 stores down? How nearby residences would be protected from construction noise? How safe would living be under gigantic cranes? Miami cranes were built to withstand cat 5 hurricanes and they didn’t live up to it. Where local traffic would be diverted during construction?
Lastly, Dart would need to employ an army, literally, of highly skilled expats before during and after construction- as long as the building stands it would need maintenance and by that I don’t mean mopping and plumbing. I mean to maintain seismic stability of the building, elevators safety , fire safety etc.
So relax, it won’t be built. I wish I could literally bet on it.
Why employ expats? Has it not been training hundreds of your bright and hardworking Caymanians in modern construction methodologies and practices in relation to its projects in recent decades? All the skills required should substantially already be available locally.
Because maintaining seismic stability of a skyscraper and all its parts would not only require an engineer degree and extensive experience, but highly specialized skills. And it is not one man job. That is why it won’t be built.
Maybe there is enough knowledge in the caymanians work force but most definitely not the man power. The workforce required to build a skyscrapers is huge. There is definitely not enough trades workers on island at this moment but hopefully many caymanians could enroll in apprenticeships to begin learning a new skill.
You mean the apprenticeships that have been required by law to be provided by construction companies and yet almost none have complied with the law? There are no apprenticeships. Just an unlimited flow of minimum wage foreign nationals!
9:06 I think you could use less words to let Dart know he don’t have that kind of money!
Darts plan also includes creating a reservation for caymanians on the land he owns on Cayman Brac
More like the tens of thousands of acres he owns in Jamaica, Chile or New Zealand. Wouldn’t want Caymanians hanging around disturbing the billionaire vibe
Rice & peas, breadfruit and all the feral chickens we can eat. No fences around the reservation, just a mountain of chilled 345 in the middle to keep us occupied.
Stay tuned…
great idea and perfect use of limited land space….
very funny to see all the dart haters who:
seem fine with constant urban sprawl of nonsensical residential devlopment
seem fine with cayman burning deisel for electricity like a 3rd world country
seem fine with no reliable public transport
seem fine with a government that is blind to environmental concerns.
of all entities in cayman, dart is the one with with the best environmental record and has produced the most environmentally sensitive developments in cayman.
its not a may be
it is their plan to put the building on the tunnels ALLL ALONGGGGGGG
that is why all the engineering and money went into them
dart has a 30 year construction plan
we only get tidbits when they are ready to let us know.
Right, now imagine if our government had a 30 year plan?
They do. It mostly involves inflating healthcare and pension liabilities to the highest possible levels.
Or even just a plan.
I doubt it’s more than 30 weeks.
They are hard at work in the early stages of implementing Vision 2008.
Pity the only plan this government is capable of is planning for themselves.
We have no national development plan, and don’t forget who put us on this path.
The late uncle of the Premier and his cohorts from the Unity Team 1976-1984.
They threw out the 1975 development plan that was created to move us along with sustainable development and protect our culture, and keep Caymanians in the forefront.
Then the Master Ground Transportation Plan (MGTP) developed by the 1984 to 1992 government was scuttled by McKeeva Bush. The hansards shows this.
So here we go again, a government of national Unity. Doesn’t that have a familiar ring to it from 1976?
Perhaps you are not aware that the DART empire was founded on single-use food packaging (cups, coolers, containers, billions of McDonald’s clamshells, etc) made out of toxic extruded polystyrene foam, which are gradually breaking down in every global landfill, leaching styrene, benzine, PCBs, storing and re-releasing long-eradicated banned poisons like DDT, as well as a catalog of carcinogens and neurotoxins. Like the heirs of DOW Chemical, DuPont, BASF, and other poisonous family legacies, they are ALL actively squirreling away their family’s ill-gotten cash into nominee names and land holdings to avoid the environmental bill when it comes…and it is coming one day soon. That is why vulture low-grade Billionaire heirs like Ken, flex power over weak Cayman Islands politicians and are eager to reinvent themselves as land barons – it’s all part of the long-range obscuration project.
nonsense….don’t blame the product …blame the user who disposes of it in hazardous way.
but hey…its always easier to blame somebody else….especially ‘evil’ corporations….zzzzzzzzzzz
Absolutely hilarious. I can’t wait for the show, aka construction, to begin!
It is practically impossible to build an iconic or ironic or moronic tower here. Not above the tunnel (ESPECIALLY ABOVE THE TUNNEL), not anywhere else in Grand Cayman.
Let the clowns on both sides to proceed. It is going to be lots of fun to watch their performance.
Traffic chaos is not a lot of fun if you have to drive that way every day.
The walls of these tunnels were purpose built to cater for a large structure on top. Anybody with construction experience knew this when they were being built.
Not for hurricane and seismic proved buildings 50 stories high.
In either of those two scenarios, I’m heading for a Dart owned building first.
Good enough for the Cayman planning board tho
8:40 if only you knew the cost of the tunnels you would not say that!
Nobody with construction experience would consider their foundation even close to sufficient to support a 50 storey high rise. It is impossibly insufficient.
Will our wise leaders build a second mount trashmoore to accomodate all the garbage that will be generated by all the rich people they want to invite here after the “iconic tower” is finished? What happens when the crown prince of SR catches wind and decides to buy Jamaica and build a tower twice the height and price as “darts iconic tower”??
Guess then we’d still have the second tallest building in the caribbean and the tallest mountain of garbage.
3 thoughts come to mind and I’m not a genius….1. What happens in a hurricane? Does part of that building become projectiles for down below? 2. What happens in case of a fire? Is the dept. ready to handle an inferno that size? 3. The rich don’t want want towers so who will occupy it or will it just be an empty tower of cement?
Empty and ownership are not the same thing. Plenty of rich people prepared to buy an apartment with zero intention of ever living in it – just look at the occupancy rates in London, Dubai or Vancouver. They usually come from places where they don’t entirely trust the local government or they have something to hide, and see the purchase as an investment out of the reach of the authorities as well as a bolthole.
7:43 from all the comments somebody sure gave y’all something to think about.
Dart has offered to deal with the dump in an environmentally sustainable way? What’s your point?
Like putting it into another residential area.
Dart Stupe!
All Dart has ever agreed to is for the dump to be moved away from his backyard. The rest is just smoke and mirrors
No he hasn’t. That is a lie. Maybe not YOUR lie, but a lie. He has offered to move the dump to a certain-to-fail lined pit in a residential area in Bodden Town. That is not a solution for Grand Cayman, just a solution for Dart.
Environmentally sustainable? What, we are expected to just keep piling on the top with a marginal recycling program that mostly looks good on paper, so Mr. Kenny can make even more money on the backs of the Caymanian people?
Well this is unfortunate. The only reason I even drive down that side of the island anymore is to go to Yoshi. Otherwise I completely avoid anything Dart related. It looks like I will have to sacrifice eating at Yoshi to avoid the rest of Darts nonsense.
Sacrifice? Lucky for you the sushi at Thai Orchid is ten times better.
But it’s not as fun without the lounge music and the cute bartenders!
So the sacrifice is not actually for the sushi.
9:08 until Dart owns it!
That’s awesome news!
That’s right, you keep feasting on those raw three headed fish bred in the North Sound leachate pond.
Why do you think they pushed the tunnel project through in the first place? This was all being planned back then.
Too weak as a base for a hurricane and seismic proved building.
Tell that to Dart or Al Thompson
Amazing I Can’t wait to see it built.
Surprise suprise!
You whiners are just angry because Mr Dart’s team is so forward thinking and that our honorable speaker and the rest of the unity team are backing this fantastic project. Just think of all the jobs it will create. Praise to our great visionary leaders and the Dart Group!
Actually, in today’s world, and considering the best sustainable way forward for this island Dart’s team seem to lead the world in backwards thinking!
10:35 if not for Dart we would be nothing except a lot of hot air!
Cayman’s Loss>Denial>Anger>Bargaining>Depression>Acceptance
There isn’t Competent Leadership to change this course.
My deepest condolences.
Change management at it finest, sad but true
They will most likely place the tower between the tunnels. Those tunnels were definitely NOT reinforced and designed to hold up 50/80 floors. Piles will need to go down the same 50/80 floors plus other reinforcement. Design has to be good for it to look good at that unusual spot. They need the beach to marry to the tower tho. So it would be town/ supermarket to the East and beach to the West. Hey Dart you need to hire me.. I have the vision.
Yes, they were.
No they weren’t. The entire island would have known that, for piles would have to
reach bedrock, and there are no bedrock to start with
Sure. That’s why they are massively reinforced and so thick. To hold up a cycle and pedestrian path.
Not massively enough for a 50 story high building.
their is no bedrock in Cayman!
Absolutely tragic.
Tragic that we still have the idiot In politics whom agreed this deal. And if history repeats itself, that same idiot just might be in a position to abuse his power again!
Why are we blameing Dart ? He just can’t do as he like ,,he has been giving permission to do everything he’s doing ! Alden and Mckeeva,,,,,it’s that simple .
The Dart money talks. Welcome to Dartopia.
We blame him for the same reason that we blame mosquitoes for doing what comes natural to them; because they are a blight and parasite.
don’t blame Alden and Mc
its the POWER of MONEY!
Nothing higher than 10 storeys. DO NOT ALLOW.
Referendum on this development.
Referendi for everyone!
Referenda
We’ve been over this.
With all due respect, I come from a place where tragic is daily rapes, murders, beatings, etc. How is creating a building absolutely tragic?
Each place on earth has its own tragedies. It is a tragedy for Cayman people not to be in charge of their own land and future. Sort of like what happened to Native Americans after Christopher Columbus had discovered it.
Christopher Colombus Did Not discover America !
Fact are irrelevant and the analogy pathetic. Few other countries have kept such tight reigns on protecting their own. Cayman is the only Caribbean island where local uneducated lower level workers can afford cars and dine out. Cayman has done an absolutely incredible job at protecting their own and all the credit to them.
But not all Caymanians can afford to have slaves… I mean helpers … who they can pay $300 a week to do all their cooking, cleaning and childcare. That’s an absolute tragedy. And it’s all Dart’s fault.
10:47 I think the point 9:04 is making is that his country would like to have or tragedy!
It’s tragic to take (what was) a charming island and turn it into a soulless, concrete jungle.
Ever heard of East End? North Side? South Sound? Little Cayman? The Brac? I tell you what happens with “charming”. Lower levels of education and health care.
1:10 just like the Great USA!
“….the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”
Thanks for the heads up. Once construction starts, I won’t be driving down West Bay Road any more. I like living and don’t want to be found under a heap of 50 story cement.
Good point. If you drive anywhere near a tall building …you will die. Thanks for your input.
Most tall buildings are not built on top of a tunnel that you drive under.
Ever been on a subway? It is centuries old technology and works perfectly. You should try it sometime.
On continents, not islands.
Montreal is an island.
And they have strip clubs
And legalised ganja!
Works perfectly are the key words.
Subway systems in large metropolitan cities = good.
50 storey tower built over tunnel on road on small island = i’ll avoid that, thank you
You need to get off the island more and see other places….I do not agree with what they/Dart propose, but for God’s sake, if there is to be credibility in opposition to this monstrosity, people need to talk with sense and be informed, before opening their mouths………
Again, elsewhere it must true, but travel all you want, you won’t find a single skyscraper on an oceanic island the size of Grand Cayman.
So study geology and geography before opening your mouth.
You first.
7:47 What will fall on you if you drive the English channel tunnel from France to England!
I’m not going through the Channel Tunnel with you.
In other words, it a done deal.
Yes just like the port
Nope
Dart and the rest of the Dart donkey brains are a disgraceful travesty to the underlying character of the Cayman Islands and SMB.
Howes justification ‘where people can safely walk from the town centre to SMB only reinforces the us & them mentality that Dart engages in. What about the stay over guests, runners and pedestrians staying at the other resorts Mr Howe, those who might not want to go to Caymana Bay, sea to sound of whatever it is, – are they not entitled to the same privileges of enjoying the scenery along SMB instead of furrowing through ‘the tunnel’ ? I guess not, they can stay out of sight and remain in darkness below the Dart World guest in the underworld beneath them.
Kellyanne lost her credibility so now they are throwing Howe to the public.
What is the RCIPS capability for terrorist actions given if this goes ahead it’s a prime target in a very unprotected island
And there are a host of other factors such as regulations, building inspection, fire services, etc. that will require significant upgrades at tax payer expense while Dart continues to benefit from consessions and do not even pay the taxes that the average person or corporate entity have to pay. Hell, Dart is probably already demanding additional concessions in return for the “iconic” tower.
No more concessions for Dart to build even more buildings. This total pandering to Dart for everything has got to stop.
7:30 do you know what is hot air rubbish?
7:10 who knows one day your family member could do the building inspection!
Im for the tower, and this is a good point!
This has to be the least surprising piece of news ever. The big question is will it be called the Burj Kamana or the Dart Khalifa?
The tunnel man cometh!
Driving down west bay road already feels like you go from cayman to city( when you enter the dark , claustrophobic tunnel) back to cayman. This is disturbing news.
6:34 have you ever left the Cayman Islands!
A JJ Burnel fan?? Freddie Laker showed them what to do…
Well this explains why Kaaboo isn’t happening
It’s not? And if it’s not how does this explain it?
The Kaboo thing was just a way for Dart to clear that land and fill it as a set up for a future high end, residential sea-to-sound development. Why do you think theres a hump in the bridge just high enough for boats to pass under on a future canal to marina basin?
Better adjust your tin foil hat – the Kaaboo site was always meant for a hotel development. Kaaboo was a temporary use for the site as it may be 3-5 years before anything happens. You are correct the bridge was built to allow for boats to access the site from the Yacht Club, no surprise there.
don’t ever stop a man from spending his money especially if you don’t have
any to spend!
10:39 that is call planning.
Check your chronology. Dart intended site for a hotel but changed location/plans when Royal Palms was bought Sept 2017. Then knowing he was NO LONGER building a hotel at this site, cleared it under the premises of an outdoor concert area the following February 2018, aka Kaaboo.
Duh. Obviously. The four seasons didnt get built because they, rightly, wouldnt let them remove the beach rock.
10:03 If Dart has land to clear what make you think he has to pretend?