Over-water resort planned for Little Cayman

| 28/07/2021 | 150 Comments
Cayman News Service
Kingston Bight bar looking out to Owen Island (from social media)

(CNS): Developers have submitted an application to the Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Development Control Board for Cayman’s first ever over-water bungalow resort, which they want to build on Little Cayman. According to drawings available online by architect John Doak, owners of the land currently home to the Kingston Bight Beach Bar off Guy Banks Road on the southern side of the island want to build a resort with several two- and three-bedroom land cottages and 18 single-unit bungalows on stilts over the water that would span out from a 450ft dock.

Little Cayman is the least developed of the three islands and many people have been hoping it will stay that way. As a result, the project is already generating opposition from local environmentalists.

Plans for the project, which appear to have been filed relatively recently, show a restaurant, bar, spa and swimming pool, as well as a golf cart and jogging trail on a 3.3-acre site.

The application will also need a coastal works licence because the plans appear to show concrete pillars in the ocean holding up the bungalows some eight feet over the sea. That licence will need to be approved by Cabinet and must be made through the Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency. Cabinet will then decide whether or not to approve the licence following submissions from the Department of Environment’s technical experts.

The Little Cayman Boutique Resort would be the first resort of its kind here. While other island nations have allowed these type of resorts, so far Cayman has not seen such an application. If the project is given the green light, it could be a precedent setting approval, paving the way for more of these projects, even in the face of climate change and the threat of rising sea levels.

The plans show few details about the owners and developers but can be viewed on the planning website here.


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Category: development, Local News

Comments (150)

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  1. Concerned Caymanian says:

    Lets look at the facts.
    1. This is in a marine protected zone.
    2. The bottom is marl/slit with a slow water exchange with the sea. Gets nice and warm in the daytime.
    3. Depth – up about 4-5′. One can walk out quite a ways in this area. This means dredging has to be done to allow boats to dock which equals more silt and loss of marine life.
    5. Drilling or driving the foundation piles – noise and silt. And with the isolation of South Hole Sound in Little Cayman, a lots of monitoring will not take place. The last disastrous dredging event along South Church St was only reported because the locals saw it. There are only a couple of houses on this section of road – probably unoccupied right now.
    6. Noise and debris from construction – even the pressure treated sawdust and small scraps will contaminate the area.

    As usual, damn the environment. Hello dollars.

    DOE, Cabinet, Planning Board and PACT – step up to the plate and do your job of protecting our children’s future. Unless you want a dead Marine Zone.

    • Jah Dread says:

      Wow are we really wasting vaccines on so many morons Cynical despicable, arrogant foreigners in this land, ya soon grt y marching orders though. Raaastafari!
      .

  2. Anonymous says:

    How does this work legally? Rooms built on the Queen’s Bottom?

  3. Anonymous says:

    If it’s not third world for third world we don’t want it.

    • Anonymous says:

      So true – just like what exists on the island of Bonacca in the first world country of Honduras.!

      Don’t let the facts get in your way, while you at it.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Be nice if we turned Little Cayman into an open air prison.

    • Anonymous says:

      Not much difference between Little Cayman and Northward. The price of drugs and alcohol is higher than anywhere else, but you can leave whenever you please. I give Northward a slight edge for having better soil and good well water.

      • Anonymous says:

        Though, I would argue that Little Cayman has better views and recreational opportunities (snorkeling; fishing).

  5. Anonymous says:

    Wayne claims to be a dedicated environmentalist, surely he will not let this happen.

    • Anonymous says:

      Who does the guy who nominated him work for again? Watch this space.

    • Anonymous says:

      Everyone is an environmentalist until there’s an opportunity to make money. Cousteau, Harvey recent examples shortly to be followed by PACT.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Just build it, so we have somewhere else to go, being that we won’t be able to fly anywhere else anytime soon, thanks to the unattainable border opening target.

  7. Guido Marsupio says:

    This area is now a marine reserve under the new DOE regulations. It would be a terrible precedent to allow a developer to build over the water at that location, so many marine species live there.

    https://doe.ky/marine/marine-parks/marine-parks/

  8. Not all tourism is GOOD tourism. says:

    From today’s New York Times article on the “comeback” of the cruise industry…

    “Kim
    San Francisco
    July 28
    I was a crew member for 7 years on Norwegian and Carnival, and can verify (as can many others) that all cruise ships are environmental disasters. In addition to off-the-charts carbon emissions, these ships kill huge swaths of coral and other marine life. It is to my shame that I was an employee in this industry of death, but I would still like to urge those contemplating a cruise to choose a cleaner, kinder way to spend a vacation. Let the devastating financial losses continue for these companies, and we will all be better off.”

  9. Anonymous says:

    If only they could build it by next week so we vaccinated all have somewhere to escape to given the current ridiculous border closure!

  10. Anonymous says:

    Sounds like an amazing idea. More choice on Little is needed.

  11. Cal says:

    So much ignorance in these comments. The Spanish used to anchor their ships there because is was a safe harbor. Over the centuries the sea filled in the bay. For many years there have been visitor cabins for tourists and fishing and a bar and cafe.v Now local people want to improve the site..It needs help.

    • Anon says:

      Some much ignorance in your overall view of the big picture! There’s nothing wrong with the land development, but the bungalows over the water are a huge problem and will most certainly destroyed the marine life in that area. Not to mention turtle grass will most likely be removed in large quantities. Developing the area on land is a great idea! There’s just no need to destroy the marine environment there! Just preserve the place in its natural state!!

  12. Anonymous says:

    Are we sure this isn’t one of those “shockers” then turn around and do something that still isn’t in the islands best interest but after the fact we all say, “well at least it’s not over the water bungalows”

    Or maybe the idea is proposed, it’s a shocker, but then people get complacent ? Like that thing that I hear sometimes about smoke and mirrors? Or a development distraction?

    Surely it’s an easy and hard “no” from whoever has to review it.

  13. Anonymous says:

    It sounds like a lovely idea in theory but where does the waste go?? I can imagine things breaking down quite quickly/easily due to corrosion.
    I know that is one thing that all the other places with over the water bungalows have… A LOT.

  14. Anonymous says:

    You saw with FIN what little regard the developers had for the sea with all kinds of crap getting dumped in it. Can you imagine these sort actually building IN the sea?!

    • Anonymous says:

      Same family too..Naul and Dale are brothers in law..

      We can expect any better from expat developers when our own wealthy Cayman Developers do the same thing..Money is an evil but something they can’t seem to get enough of..If only they new that they can’t take it when they are gone and there children will have a ton of money and a concrete wasteland that money can’t return to it’s normalcy..

  15. Anonymous says:

    For clarification, the Development Control Board does not decide whether the overwater units are approved or not. This is a Cabinet matter (not only the posts in the water, but also the overwater units). Cabinet asks for recommendations from the DOE and the DCB. The Development Control Board is tasked with granting or refusing planning permission for the land based units only.

    • Anonymous says:

      Does the DCB allow public attendance/presentations/comments when they consider this application or is this done in secret?

      • Beaumont Zodecloun says:

        Yes, they do, however I don’t believe public attendance is encouraged.

        • Anonymous says:

          ETA: The public — unless an adjacent property owner — will likely have no “standing” to participate or object.

  16. Amplify Cayman says:

    Amplify Cayman have launched a >>DISCUSSION GROUP.

    Follow the link:
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/523359778876954/

  17. Fed up says:

    What the hell is wrong with the Cayman community, so much anti-development sentiments. Every single project is a bad idea, its quite tiring really. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this proposed development, it is a unique and interesting concept that will only contribute to the tourism product in Little. Its not a 10 storey concrete monstrosity, but will fit right in to the laid back quite tranquility of the island.

    If a hurricane comes and blows it away, why do you care, that’s the developer/owners problem to work out.

    Stop screaming and complaining about every single project, sheesh

    • Anonymous says:

      If a hurricane destroys these units where do you think the mess will land and whom do you think will be paying higher insurance premiums?

    • Fed up Caymanian says:

      It is refreshing to see a proposed development here that actually looks like it belongs on an island however, the location is in a Marine Park. No further points are really needed. I mean, I can’t fish there but you can build houses? Makes sense.

      Most Caymanians are not against development but it should be sustainable, necessary, and look like it belongs here. Too often we’re seeing hideous buildings that don’t reflect the community and ridiculous variances (example: FIN). There should be an aesthetic standard and in some instances, the wider community should be allowed to voice their opinion on the proposed development (example: DART’s proposed new town).

      Also, the DOE needs to be given more weight. If they say it shouldn’t be built or setbacks should be x, y, and z or whatever their assessment is – there should be no workaround.

      We care because it is OUR country. We’d like it to resemble us, not South Beach or some other island.

      • Anonymous says:

        Well said 3:40!!! I feel the same. Caymanians, on the whole, understand development is needed but at the moment it seems like it’s as out of control as a runaway train. In many countries around the world, there is a building or structural code that needs to be followed so that anything built fits in with the surroundings or local “look”. FIN and that ghastly Turkish house on 7-mile are prime examples of why this should be implemented here. We need to keep Cayman looking like the beautiful little Caribbean island that it is and not like Miami beach/Dubai. Also, what’s with all these ugly modern monstrosities!? why una so keen to live in an ugly cube!? Keep it looking like Cayman and don’t even consider building over a marine park. I don’t see how this can possibly be approved. If it is it set a dangerous precedent.

      • Fed up says:

        But thats my point. This development actually fits in with the location.

        Its the folks who jump and scream, look at someone building something, that should be stopped, without so much at looking at the project details that pisses me off.

        We are located on an island, so there are almost always going to be projects on the coastline ro that impact mangroves. I’m all for sustainable development, but we cant simply say hell no to a project as soon as its announced simply because its on the beach or a few mangroves are impacted

        • Fed up Caymanian says:

          Thanks 4:02, I agree with your points as well 🙂

          Fed up: I feel like you’re still missing it. Most people aren’t up in arms just because a new development is announced, it’s so much more than that.

          Do you understand what mangroves do? So what if “a few mangroves are impacted”? IDK, maybe it sets a precedent and paves the way for more to say, “it’s just a few mangroves.”? It also ruins our natural protection from hurricanes while destabilizing our coastline ecosystem but no biggie. We’re basically a big reef system so mangroves are pretty important.

          We are being priced out of the market while simultaneously watching others flourish. There are places I frequented with my grandma as a kid that I can only tell my siblings stories of. Beaches and Ironshore that I grew up on that now people don’t want me on. Ancestral beach access that I’m no longer allowed. I cried the first time I drove on the bypass by the Kimpton, not because I’m against change, but because it was the day my home no longer felt like my home.

          But back to these proposed water bungalows… THEY ARE IN A MARINE PARK. It doesn’t matter that they fit the island aesthetic. We need only look at our coastlines and the impact that developing has caused to see that a project like this should not be allowed to progress… And IT’S IN A MARINE PARK!

          • Anonymous says:

            Fed Up Caymanian… Since you capitalised I will too. IT’S NOT IN A MARINE PARK! There are no mangroves being destroyed. Get your facts right please rather than screaming nonsense at people.

            • Anonymous says:

              It is an a marine park and always has been. You can see the map here: https://doe.ky/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Marine-Parks-Brochure-21-April-2021.pdf

            • Fed up Caymanian says:

              7:27
              I rebutted a mangrove point by the original poster. Learn to read and research before you jump in talking sh-t. DOE just launched a new app to help people like you find things like marine parks, try using it.

            • Fed up Caymanian says:

              Anonymous 7:27
              You sound silly telling me to speak facts when your comment is riddled with uninformed nonsense.

              I was responding to the original posters point about mangroves. Please learn to read before you try to come for me.

              Anonymous 7:23 & 7:27
              MARINE PARK = MARINE PRESERVE 🙂 The DOE just launched their new app to help people like you so please download it and educate yourselves.

          • Anon says:

            I second Fed Up Caymanian!

        • Anonymous says:

          They jump and scream after hey leave their garbage their from camping trips.

          • Fed up Caymanian says:

            There are still repatriation flights, maybe you can use one.

            Bet you don’t like when we act ignorant too right? Trash left on the beach is unique to no one nationality.

      • D. Truth says:

        I second Mr. Fed Up!

      • Anonymous says:

        The project is not in a marine park. Please get your facts right.

    • Anonymous says:

      So that means that they get away from buying land.

    • Anonymous says:

      Sewage and other human waste floating in South Hole Sound. Jet skis and other forms of noise polluting in abundance. How is any of this good for Caymanians? The real cost of this proposal/application will be faced by our future generations who will never ever have the pleasure of simply swimming in a pristine bay. This is too high a price for them to pay for the present day greed of a few individuals

    • Anonymous says:

      It will help Cayman Brac too and God knows the Brac needs help.

  18. Me says:

    The first northeastern or hurricane will take care this resort. Stupid crazy idea to build over water on Little Cayman. What is this developer smoking or drinking???

  19. Anonymous says:

    P for Public Driven – Seems like the public is clearly driven to oppose this horrible development proposal. Let’s see if in reality PACT stands by what it claimed to be.

  20. Mikey says:

    Better off building a hospital, imagine not even a hospital and they want to push such large scale work over there what if someone gets injured???

  21. Anonymous says:

    Sounds great to me. A win-win for the environment also, can we feel the heat this summer? Well, all those lovely animals could use a little shade too. Wait a minute it’s going to be hard for most of you who wouldn’t know because you don’t plant. But you did mention fires but you didn’t connect them? No matter when the hurricane comes you going to have destruction. What we should be doing in Government is building the island higher by putting stilts on all properties near the water, 3 feet higher connected to pilings, concrete pads then 12 feet stilts then the first floor. No wooden houses allowed anymore.
    As the sea gets higher around the world we need to be concerned about flooding!! Did you all not watch the news? From Europe through China someplace flooded 70 feet high, so sad.

  22. Anonymous says:

    While they are at it, how about connecting some of the south hole beachfront to Owen Island. You could do a really nice walkway wide enough for people to use golf carts and bicycles.

    Then you could put some nice trails on Owen Island complete with a restaurant and bar!

    • Anonymous says:

      As it’s a privately owned island that’s going to be a big no. The current owners are nice enough to let people use it. Plus you cant create a walkway as that would completely cut off the water route for boats and other watercraft. Please think before typing…

      • Anonymous says:

        Pretty sure the comment you are responding too was sarcasm…

        …but that often goes unappreciated.

        I give the walkway comment a thumbs up, but don’t think for a minute it was serious.

        • Anonymous says:

          3:18 I must admit my sarcasm radar isn’t the strongest but reading some comments that people come up with and the sheer genuine stupidity hopefully you can appreciate it is sometimes hard to tell when people are joking…

    • Anonymous says:

      And a 50 story condo complex with 100 tennis courts, 10 Olympic swimming pools and a private jet port with a 10,000’ runway and helicopter pad – just expanding on your thought process

  23. Anonymous says:

    I am fully on board with this and plan to visit as soon as it opens!

    • Anonymous says:

      Hell, in a couple years all of our Sounds could look just like the Key off of Bonacca (Guanaja), Bay Islands, Honduras

      360 degrees sea vistas

      Property owned by the Crown (only leasing can be allowed)- volumetric parcels can’t work over the Queen’s Bottom😉

      • Anonymous says:

        That’s what the Government told DART , so he just created another way and got them to approve it..Hopefully PACT doesn’t follow in the steps of the XXXX PPM.

    • Anonymous says:

      Owner, Cretin or troll – I cannot decide.

  24. Anonymous says:

    I assume that behind the scenes they must have gotten a sense how Cabinet would vote on the coastal works?

    • Anonymous says:

      Yep, I’m sure this one banking on the return of the PPM and AL’T on the CPA Board.

      CNS: This application would not go before the CPA, whoever was on it.

  25. Anonymous says:

    What a terrible idea. This plan needs to be scrapped!

  26. LiveAndLetLive says:

    This is ridiculous. There should be a nationwide prohibition on construction of any building outside the coastline. Period. Don’t even go there. If you do, you will have 100 more applications to either grant and ruin the lagoons or deny to the exclusive benefit of this arrogant, short sighted, greedy application.

    Stop changing the rules and start playing by them.

  27. Anonymous says:

    Terrible idea.

  28. Anonymous says:

    As usual… the rumors’ are incorrect

  29. Anonymous says:

    Can’t wait for a ‘rich forriner’ comment. As usual, it’s one of your own tearing up the island for a project that was given the green-light by…you guessed it, one of your own!

    That just stings too much to acknowledge.

  30. Skeptical says:

    I was told that many, many years ago there were overwater bungalows around South Sound. Guess what, a storm took them out!

    • Anonymous says:

      So they are now underwater mashed up bungalows. I wonder if the wreckage ever contributed to what is termed as an artificial reef?

    • Anonymous says:

      This is why we have insurance policies.

    • Anonymous says:

      I was told that many, many years ago there were overwater bungalows around South Sound.

      You were misinformed.

    • MERVYN CUMBER says:

      Not True!

    • Anonymous says:

      I call BS. I’m going to need backup on this.
      Would have had to be longer ago than 30 years coz that’s how old I am and I’ve never seen this.
      Mostly because that would just be insane.
      Either way, there is no way they would get any insurance on this. So it would be ‘self-insured’…

  31. Anonymous says:

    It would be absolutely heartbreaking if this was given permission.

    Little Cayman is the picture postcard, pristine little Caribbean island. The ultimate in piece and quiet. Grand Cayman has already been wrecked and resembles Miami more than a Caribbean Island. Please, please don’t allow this to happen.

  32. Anonymous says:

    The PPM Alliance campaigned on turning the entire island of Little Cayman into a protected area. But we preferred PACT… you see what you got now ?
    Gay pride and lots of waffle

    DECEPTION

  33. Anonymous says:

    Anyone thought of hurricanes?

    • Anonymous says:

      Both Maldives and Bora Bora have a very low risk for tropical cyclones and our islands now have an increased risk of devastation from storms. But what could possibly go wrong in the minds of these greedy developers? Messrs Matthew Wight and Naul Bodden are both Caymanian shareholders in this project and should know better. However Mr. Doak, who bills himself as some sort of a fanciful imagineer, has lost touch with Cayman and is clearly jaded by big money. As for the owner, William Maines looks like he’s looking for a place to sink his money after declaring his US business bankrupt due to lack of demand for his products following Covid. What a cluster!

  34. Anonymous says:

    What’s wrong with leaving as much of Little Cayman as possible in its natural state? Tragic to see what these 2 have done to the view at the GT graveyard.

    • Anonymous says:

      Dixie is heartbreaking to any family members who have loved ones near the cement walls. No ocean views for a few extra dollars. Couldn’t planning and the developers have just left that little strip as a park out of respect for our forefathers who worked so hard to build a better Cayman? Shame on you. Anything is for sale.

    • Anonymous says:

      Same developers that have ruined Dixie.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree with you on building in front of Dixie. But these developers have an affinity for graveyards after they put up Tides in South Sound next to, you guessed it, a graveyard.

  35. Anonymous says:

    We get it. Caymanians hate anything better than what they can build. They only want what they can use. Like the dumps. You can’t stop progress. But you can get in the way.

    • Anonymous says:

      This comment to me has very discriminatory undertones against Caymanians. And this is the reason we feel the way we do. We understand development is a key factor in any progressing country, but this one in particular is unnecessary.

    • Anonymous says:

      Please get back on your private plane and exit our islands ASAP, we don’t you.

      Signed. An expat.

  36. Anonymous says:

    That end of South Hole Sound is a huge nursery for sharks, reef fish, lobsters and other marine life. Why kill all of that so some rich guy can get richer?

  37. E. Benedict says:

    Young Jedi, these aren’t the developments you’re looking for.

  38. Anonymous says:

    Does the Cayman Islands really need this Mr. Panton?

  39. Beauty vs money says:

    Sigh. The ubiquitous battle between preservation and greed. Would someone not rather visit LC for its distinct, UNSPOILED beauty? Why do we want to become the same as many other locations? I do not understand.

  40. Anonymous says:

    Is there a development plan for all three islands? Because Cayman Brac is set to go crazy in a few years as well. There needs to be something that developers can refer to and know in advance whether their proposed construction would fit in with the overall development plan for the island(s).

    • Anonymous says:

      Sadly no planning zones in Brac nor Little but I would say now is the time to introduce them before the developers wreck both islands with out-of-place monstrosities in the name of their personal wealth. Anyone say FIN?

    • Anonymous says:

      Hmnn, so tell me again where are the three proposed marinas on Cayman Brac. Where is the exclusive resort on the former doctors property southside? Where is the golf course on the bluff? Where is the medical school? Where is the wind farm and solar facility? Where is the uptown development. Shall I go on?
      Plenty of talk, no action, no results. So would not surprise me to see Schilling disappear from the scene in a very few short years.
      Riddle me this – if you don’t have a business plan to make money, how long will you be around losing it? XXXX

  41. Anonymous says:

    I wish i was around in 25 years to see the mess WE have allowed.

  42. Anonymous says:

    So if this gets approved it is a green light for all other types of development to build closer to the sea or over the sea.

    And of all places to build it, Little Cayman. First we got people who want to build a house out of storage containers and now we got someone who wants to build into and over the sea.

    The local Development Control Board has at least 3 members on it who the public would perceive to have a conflict of interest – think about it those of you on Brac/Little , unna know what I am talking about.

    Hopefully our only Cabinet member, Ms. Juliana, will see that this project is stopped.

    • Anonymous says:

      Building houses from storage and shipping containers is an environemntally friendly way to build and the onlyoption for so many people who have been priced out of the housing market

      • Anonymous says:

        Hmnn,

        Seems like you would still have to pour some sort of concrete pad to anchor the container on. Still would need to cut in windows/doors. Still need to put on roof.
        Still need to put in electric and plumbing. Still need to insulate and put finish walls inside. Still need to finish exterior walls. Still need to put in septic system. Then after doing all of that you have a shipping container with many holes put in it, not to even consider the fact that it is made out of metal – which on our environment just loves.
        I miss the whole point on it being environmentally friendly???
        Price out a traditional Caymanian wood frame house with corrugated roofing vs. doing same size fitting of container home.

        Hoping someone will enlighten me to how much labour and materials money I can save by going to storage container route . . . awaiting replies

  43. Anonymous says:

    Oh boy – smells like a Dart start!

    • Anonymous says:

      It’s an NCB thing..

      • Anonymous says:

        No its a William Maines (Maines Food & Paper Service Inc.)/NCB thing

      • Jonathan Adam says:

        Yup, including the owner of Macabuca and Cracked Conch.

        • Anonymous says:

          Don’t forget the money behind GTYC (George Town Yacht Club).

          • Jonathan Adam says:

            As always, there is as of yet no real, valid and/or legitimate democratic decision making processes in and of the Cayman Islands in any facet of Cayman’s collective entirety. As such, and by dire necessity, and regardless of one’s status as a member of the electorate and/or the lack thereof, the only way for one to stand and to be counted is for one to vote with one’s wallet and with one’s feet. All are thus far free to act accordingly, or not.

  44. Anonymous says:

    Great climate resilience mitigation. Reduce the upward pressure on land prices. Reduce the demand for private docks. Reduce the value of current sea view properties in South Sound.

    Hell, why not build out all of the Sounds – South, Frank, North, all of them!

    PACT should fully support this eco friendly approach.

  45. Anonymous says:

    Ought to put a moratorium on all future resort/unnecessary construction in Little Cayman. The scientific and historical value of preserving the island is imperative, and we can not let ourselves lose track of the beauty of our islands under all the resorts and tourists. Save Little Cayman and all our islands!

  46. Anonymous says:

    And who does John Doaks wife work for again?

  47. Anonymous says:

    Here we go again. So Doak own the land, who will be developing, owning and running the property?

  48. Anonymous says:

    Rumour is that this is a big PACT supporter…lets see how it plays out

  49. Anonymous says:

    Goodbye to the world renowned Bone Fish that live in and around South Hole Sound. Much sort after by sport fisherman for many years to date, catch and release.

  50. Anonymous says:

    What will be the compensation for use of the Queen’s Bottom? It should be an ongoing royalty based on revenue from renting the bungalows. Also, how do you build these without destroying the sea bottom? I have witnessed the barge and pile machine at work and it is very destructive to surrounding sea life.

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