Housing project starts

The year 2021 may start on the right note for at least 15 families as the National Housing Corporation (NHC) officially broke ground on a new house building project yesterday in Todds, St. George.

The first such NHC project in almost a decade, Minister of Housing and Lands Dr. William Duguid announced 15 two-bedroom, one bathroom homes will be constructed by 15 small contractors and are expected to be completed within three months.

The properties range between 3,500 to 4,100 square feet and fall into a $145,000 to $180,000 price range.

“The lots are essentially $5 per square foot and the reason why we have gone that low is because this is a ribbon development which means we have not had to put in the road, so we have decided to take the area off of a plantation that allows us to put houses where you don’t have to put the road. So by keeping the prices down for the houses and down for the land then you will be able to get the house as low as you could. So basically someone is paying about $18,000 for the land and the rest for the house,” he said, adding that some of the homes would be concrete board while the others would be all masonry.

Duguid stated the project was to help fill the “great need” for housing across the island and “we are trying to fill that need as best as we can”.

He also revealed that other developed areas have been earmarked for in-filling.

“So areas where we have roads but vacant lots, like Lower Burney for example, we will be going in there next and from there we would go to Coconut Hall, St Lucy, then Concordia Gardens in St. Philip and in between that through the HOPE programme, other places in Chancery Lane, Colleton in St. Lucy and we are also having a discussion on a place in St. James,” he said. (JMB)