Manager to offer insight into GT facelift
(CNS): Almost four years since the planning ministry last held a public meeting on the proposed revitalisation of George Town, it is finally hosting another one tomorrow evening. The public is invited to attend the newly christened Constitutional Hall in the centre of the capital to hear an update from Colin Lumsden, the George Town Manager and Revitalisation Initiative Coordinator for the ministry.
Besides road development, it is unclear what government has been doing since that first meeting in October 2015 about this long-promised commitment to revamp the downtown area of the capital, which was part of the PPM manifesto in 2013.
Speaking to a paying audience at the RICS Property and Construction Conference in March, Lumsden, Planning Minister Joey Hew and Deputy Chief Officer Tristan Hydes presented a few details but not much substantive information beyond the issue of roads. However, they outlined some of the challenges that have prevented George Town from becoming the vibrant mixed-use location it could be, including small building plots, the massive amount of space taken up by private parking lots, and single-use zoning.
Officials said the goal of Thursday evening’s meeting is to present a project update and give the public a chance to ask questions and outline their priorities and aspirations for the capital.
The George Town Revitalisation Initiative (GTRI) “is a holistic attitude towards regeneration. The approach is long-term and multi-faceted, aiming to bring additional life and vibrancy back to the capital,” officials said, as they urged people to attend an interactive meeting.
The meeting will be at the town hall from 4:30 to 6:30 pm on Thursday 18 July.
Category: Community, development, Local News
1% of George Town is green space!!
If that doesn’t put your jaw on the floor, nothing will.
There is no respect or appreciation for the environment by the CIG.
The rich get richer.
Turd polishing. As long as GT panders to cruise ship cattle and the tat they love then it will be a dump.
I can help GT with a shiny new monorail.
1/ Build a big beautiful port for tenders on existing land footprint.
2/ Move the container port. Replace container yard with bus terminal.
3/ Close Cardinall Ave between Harbour Drive and Panton Ave.
4/ No street closures for elite events like wet fete and the Museum day.
5/ Parking meters on the street with a 3 hour limit
6/ Change zoning to allow retail, office, residential, but only with adequate on site parking.
7/ Big duty concessions for people building parking garages.
8/ Stamp duty concessions for people building housing
The only real concern is the area between Mary Street and Boilers Road, Harbour Drive and Goring, Edward and Fort Street.
Give some people a place to park and they will visit, give them a place to live and they will revitalize the downtown area on their own.
I doubt anyone has noticed, but aside from the beautiful waterfront which may soon be a dusty construction site for the next 6 years, the rest of town is booming.
The grasp on the issue at hand is limited.
It’s the parking, stupid.
cars and parking are not the answer to anything.
Change name of Town Hall – paycheck earned- job done.
We definitely should have a turtle shaped ice rink and a space needle hot air balloon bar. Without those, GT doesn’t stand a chance
Downtown GT should all be pedestrian but that requires sufficient outlying parking areas. Of course, Government had no foresight for that although it’s been suggested by “the man in the street” for years and years! So what happened? Private companies bought all the viable outlying properties for their own parking areas!
Anyway, if Government still plans to raze the old Glass House, that would be a suitable place for parking, not a park! Then the could acquire whatever suitable available property may be left (including Hobbies & Books multi-storey parking structure). Instead on wasting public funds on shoddy airport construction works and other poorly managed projects, spend it on (invest in) buying viable property for this serious issue. Meanwhile make real efforts to fix the “no-system” public bus services. Talk to Bermuda!!
We’re too damn lazy! No location within our little 4×4 downtown is too far to walk. In real cities people walk as far between bus stops!
12.23pm Have you seen what happens when any of the central GT roads (Cardinal Ave, Harbour Drive, Fort St etc are closed for special functions – TOTAL GRIDLOCK. These are arterial roads do you expect traffic to take off and fly?.
Yup, forget all the talk of more parking in town. Keep the existing curb-side parallel parking and add meters. Then work on public transit… that’s where the key lies.
Plan = Build crosswalks everywhere, maybe he should spend some time in SIMS or Cities: Skylines to get an idea
Not the first person to make this observation but I for one would love to know why the recently announced joint Red Bay and Prospect Constituency community meeting on the 23rd of July is starting at 7pm but this meeting for revitalization of all of GT is at 4:30
Clearly the Alden McLaughlin and Austin Harris understand that they can’t hold their own constituency meetings at 4:30 because no one would show up so why is the revitalization meeting being held so early, in such a tiny building with little to no parking in the area?
The GT revitalization plans will have effects on all persons who live on Grand Cayman but the meeting seemingly is being purposefully planned to limit public attendance, meanwhile a meeting concerning a tiny fraction of the population is in a larger venue and at a more convenient time
If the CIG think that people don’t notice these things they are mistaken
Great observation.
Will there be refreshments?
Typical. “What are they feeding us?” Are you a civil servant?
Caybrew?
The best thing CIG can do here would be to get a properly qualified Town & Regional Planner to plan this thing out properly, because the people currently involved are way out of their depth – something about “piss-up” and “brewery”.
great comment..nothing more to be said.
this will go nowhere until you hire an internationally recognized expert in town planning.
Hope you’re not thinking of recommending a buddy of yours @9:18 cause it ma gin go so . Sene.
Very oresumptiousof I isnt it it? The truth be told I and I know how ona tink so me a set the stage Fe ya!
Dude, I don’t care who they get in to do the job, as long as the person is a suitably qualified T&RP. Instead, the ‘Peter Principle’ is clearly evident here.
Govt. has one already, have you heard of DART?
We do have one in the name of Carson K Ebanks former Chief of the Planning Department . He is retired and undoubtedly qualified to steer this process. But you see that’s how we do it we have resources but we don’t utilize them where needed . SMH
Please please CIG don’t even think of bringing in other people to do this when we have our own highly trained people.
Thanks for the laugh, I just spat out my cesar.
What in the hell is a “cesar”?
Dog food, you knew what I meant though.
This kind of thinking is precisely why there is a Cayman flag posted as the definition of insanity in the dictionary
Silly question perhaps but how exactly do you think it reached its current state?
Carson K Ebanks was involved in the original version of this plan presented in 2015. It went down … poorly … with the members of the public in attendance. Unfotunately Tristan was also involved in that version so I don’t hold out much hope for a significantly improved (creative) plan. Stay strong GT, lets tell them – again – that we want a proper revitalization plan and not just new roads.
at the meeting now. impressed they came with better plan AND blank maps for public to start with. take back what I said (Tristan). better approach this time around.
His qualifications are in business management not planning. That is what his certificates on his office wall clearly said back when he worked at DoP
Also warrant signing, he has good experience with that.
Right on, these guys fit the saying “city planners do it with their eyes closed”. There will be no consideration for integration of the plan, if it qualifies as one, into any large future infrastructure or urban redevelopment plan. Wait, there’s another missing plan. Obviously they’re trying to sprint before they can walk. Bring in seasoned professionals as we don’t need another “cluster f##k” in GT.
Sadly, they have had 3 people on salary for 4 years now which would have already covered the cost of one qualified person.
laughable progress since 2015…..but typical of ppm.
there is no-one in the civl service with the ability to tackle this issue. we are just wasting more time.
These civil servants have been tasked with this job not because they are qualified, but because they happened to be there.
Get some qualified professional input and remember that without parking parking parking it will just be more talk talk talk.
correct…but forget parking…car access/parking is not the future of george town or any town/city centre.
It certainly is, unless of course they can fix the failed Public Transport system. How likely you think that is?
Thats the first thing to fix before anything else…
Right after the damn dump!
Autonomous vehicles will obviate the need for parking within a decade, if government allows them.
Where the hell are we supposed to park Colin?
not in town. get out of your car!
Certainly not at the front door of the building that you are intending to visit.
Not in a handicapped spot unless you have the required sticker.
Walking in always good, just be safe!
That’s the point , it is not safe to walk in Central GT
You kidding me?! Its fine…
not safe to walk on any road in cayman
Build multi-storey carparks outside of the GT parameters, and install a cheap minibus system, running at regular intervals (15 minute in peak periods). Then you can largely pedestrianise the central part of GT and ferry people to and from their cars.
Probably on a rental tube in Hog Sty Bay.
We need the dock to secure our future! We need it as bad as we need derelict Range Rovers to be removed from roundabouts. The time for action is now and we must stand up against the loud minority which seeks the put its boot heel on the neck of Caymanian progress. This must move forward to secure the future of not only our cruise ship intake but our cargo capacity as well. To say otherwise would be a clear and yet bloody stain on our fair Isles.
We need the dock like I need another hole in my a**.
You don’t need another hole. All the excess come out ya mouth.
More holes the better as far as I am concerned.
That’s what she said.
In these times it is better to have 2 of those 😜
Sounds delicious. It must be a upsided down pineapple cake. Yummy! yummy!.
A meeting starting at 4:30 pm when a large majority of Caymanians are still working and therefore won’t be in attendance also note the smaller meeting location and area with limited parking
The smaller the venue the better for the CIG persons who show up and see the venue is full or crowded are less likely to stay
Not to mention the hellish task that is finding available parking in central GT
There meeting should have been held starting at 5:30 at the Family Life Centre
Just more games to reduce citizens participation from the CIG
Simple facts paint the clearest pictures
A government interested in the involvement and input of the public on an issue or plan doesn’t schedule the meeting for a time when most persons cannot attend
Well said.
“We’ll be talking about the limited public parking and the excessive private parking, come before you’re allowed to leave work to the most difficult building to park near and hear all about it”
Parking problems – yes. (Need a good park-and-ride, pedestrianized downtown plan to fix that.)
But the Hall can fit a lot of people. And it is right where the focus of the meeting should be on, revitalizing central GT. So it is a logical place to have the meeting.
But 4:30pm is a curious time to start a meeting. I wonder what the real Agenda is? i.e., 4:30-5:15pm, look at the big maps on the wall, 5:15pm – 5:30pm brief overview of the plan, 5:30-6:30pm Q&A.
Raze it.
GT could be viewed in the same way as the Dart hotel developments, Ritz Carlton, Safehaven, etc. Consider fiscal stimulus and regulatory/planning reform to promote re-development as we did with the above when they were considered “new” developments.