Emerald Sound returns to CPA with objectors away
(CNS): The return of a controversial development has residents in South Sound deeply concerned as they hoped the project had been stopped once and for all last year. In January 2010 Berna Cummins, who spearheaded the opposition to the development of Emerald Sound, handed over a petition of more than 1,100 signatures of people objecting to the plans to government. However, the development which has raised environmental concerns is back on the agenda and residents are especially worried that the plans are coming before the CPA in the first week of August. Cummins revealed that despite fears that many objectors are off island and unable to attend, the CPA will not change the date.
The project has attracted considerable opposition not just from nearby residents but across the island as a result of the threats it could pose to the environment because of the dredging of canals and the development along the shoreline.
The developer’s goal is to cut a channel from the sea through the South Sound road to the main site, directly linking the landside where the main residential condo complex will be constructed adjacent to Bel Air Drive, with the ocean adding to its sale value.
Cummins and other objectors to the development have said that granting permission to cut a channel from the sea is not only a direct environmental threat to the location but it would set a dangerous precedent. The development also proposes to remove 120 feet of mangrove.
Besides the objections raised by people living within the zone which the CPA is obligated to consult (1500ft radius), over one hundred letters of objection were sent to the planning authority and a petition of over 1100 signatures was also handed to the director of planning in January 2010 by Berna Cummins, indicating the wider public concern about the dredging of canals. The recent re-emergence of the proposed development, according to the objectors, still contains plans to dredge channels.
The objectors have now been invited to address the CPA in person on Wednesday, 3 August, which Cummins says is unacceptable as several people who are against the plan are away. Despite several emails being sent to the planning department from residents in the area requesting a change of date, Cummins said the request has been refused. Planning told the objectors that the applicant, RS Estates, was unable to change the date and as such the CPA would be going ahead with next month’s meeting.
Cummins told CNS that she and those opposed to the development now have genuine concerns as so many people are away at this time of year. Because they were only notified on Tuesday 12 July she said it may be very difficult to muster the real number of objectors in person on that date in order to demonstrate to the CPA that the development cannot be granted planning permission.
When Burns Conolly resubmitted the plans on behalf of RS States for Emerald Sound in December 2009 he said that “years of detailed consideration and thousands of hours of professional consulting have resulted in a very carefully thought-out development.”
At a public meeting which followed the submission however, where more than 100 people attended, local mariners warned of the dangers of cutting a channel through the road.
Conolly previously stated that all precautions have been taken in addressing any potential problems associated with this development and he believes the complaints were more about people not wanting any development in their neighbourhood rather than any real environmental concerns.
Plans can be viewed at the Planning Department and more about the campaign to stop the development can be gained from berna@candw.ky
A meeting has now been called for next week Thursday 21st July – 6pm – at Hinds Way contact katrinajurn@gmail.com for details
Category: Science and Nature
SS residents would have more credibility if they had not whined incessantly about things like parking at the rugby club, a children’s playground, signage on the squash club, the deck at the tennis club… Instead of paying attention to their yappy, unsupervised dogs and many other IYBY issues…
I am ambivalent about this project but, SS road is not a private and gated community. So, living there does not provide anyone with additional voting power over the rest of Cayman.
Seriously? Is that all you can say?
Nothing about the dredging of mangroves, building a canal and the risks to the elements?
Sad…
Time and time again. All we have here are a group of people that want the land near them left undeveloped. SSDD.
Any district, any time, you'll get the same story… then they claim that they are not against development.
…the constant battle continues…
Finally! A Caymanian trying to get ahead. I went to the meeting back in I believe it was 2006 or 2007 when this proposal first came about and there were approximately 60-75 people there. Judging by my estimates there were about 75% expats there and a few caymanians and a few jamaican-caymanians.
We need to join together and promote our own kind!
I know the developer may not be "dart" but I've seen a few of his other projects and they are all first class developments.
There were over 200 people and the South Sound Community Hall was at maximum capacity with people standing in the back. It was full of South Sounders – some whose families have been there for 10 generations, and others who have been there for the last 30 years – all South Sounders equally.
And for the record I am one of the South Sounders whose family has been in SS for 10 generations and at least 1/2 of the people in the hall were similarly the South Sounders whose families have been in South Sound for hundreds of years.
Not ONE person spoke in favor of the project – other than the developments spokesperson. Not ONE.
You were either not at the meeting or trying to intentionally mislead the public.
10 generations? wow, that's remarkable…did your ancestors see Columbus coming in too?
Is this project in South Sound? Traditionally I've always know that area to be known as Red Bay?
Ovbiously the poster was using the old red herring of "us" vs. "them" it was the same tactic used by the person who wanted a bar – restaurant at stingray city.
Unfortunately it was successful.
You are an unmitigated idiot.
The Caymanian Developer and his Caymanian spokesperson are already very successful business men. These men are already 'ahead'.
It is no secret who these two men are by the way – the developer is Rene Hislop (enormous estate on the corner of South Church St and Websters Estates) and his spokerperson is Burns Connolly as noted above.
The online petition site is as follows:
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?ci345es
Having attended the previous public meeting when this proposal has come up I would like to say that it was quite clear that no one was objecting to the development of the property. What persons were objecting to and rightly concerned about, was a canal through the SS road, the dredging of a channel in the sound and the moving of the road.
Just because dredging happened in the past does not mean that we should repeat the process. Maybe we should have been smarter then. It is noticable that the area dredged in the 60's filled back in over not too many years. Does this mean that a channel for boats will require regular dredging with the accompanyng silt? Why does the road need to move? Simply to create more valuable/private seaside lots.
Also this development is only to create land not any actual residenses. At least that is how it was. So will it simply be an empty area for many years just like some of the other developments in the area?
I do not think that the proposed benefits outweigh the potential problems.
Leave the SS road as is.
It is a shame the conservation law is not in place to prevent south sound development.That said, most of south sound was developed from mangrove & swamp, which many people have built their mansions on. Including building places like Pirates Lair ( back in the late 70's) and all the homes from the boat ramp westward to south snd cemetary area.After south sound road was moved back northwards, this opened up many areas on the beach to develop. Most are now built on land that is the beach ridge, created by centuries of hurricanes that have naturally built up the 'storm ridge'. There used to be a tarpon pond just north of Caribbean Paradise, that was re-claimed & now has mega-mansions built on it. Lots of objectors to Mr. Hislop's proposed development live in these areas and homes. If they all live on land developed by being re-claimed from swamp, the developer/s should have the right to do the same, within the law of course.
No. This is not the case. This is not justification for this horrific development to happen
If the developer simply wanted to develop his property into a residential community of any reasonable sort – we would not object. Moving the road is problematic but not even the major concerns which are
1) breaching the solid land in South Sound,
2) cutting a channel from the Sound through the road,
3) building a bridge above the channel in place of the road – that could become damaged in storms blocking travel through this important road
4) canalizing the property and thus bringing the water further inland increasing the vulnerability of hundreds of neighbors to storm surge and flooding. Forget hurricanes, annual North Westers will cause serious damage to Emerald Sounds and their neighbors.
The South Sound Channel is dangerous to navigate even by experienced boaters. There will be a real hazard for the developments residents.
Not to mention the effects on the South Sound. The water will become murky from the run off sediment – from the dredging process and continually bleed into the sound (its red brown and stinky – a small amount currently leaks out after heavy rain – the water on the shoreline of the sound will become red/brown). The land there is DEEP with mucky peat that will continue to run out into the sound through the canals permanently.
The Emerald Sound Development is extremely dangerous and will directly endanger the lives and property of everyone around from Cayman Crossing, to Bel Air Drive, and the hundreds of residents of Old Crew Rd. Not to mention the loss to the South Sound and Cayman community at large who cherish South Sound just as it is. We do love it as it is! Rustic, natural, pristine. It is easy enough to create proper bike lanes and pedestrian lanes without this monsterous development. That is a fairly low cost measure which the residents of SS could fund ourselves.
On the point of the road – They 'offer' to move South Sound Road inland – claiming to straighten it. The road is already very straight. This will simply allow the developer to take what is crown land and our common heritage and turn in into 20 ocean size lots and make a fortune for himself. The strip of ocean side land is now currently too narrow to develop on – as is the case in all of our few remaining scenic coastal routes (South Sound between Emerald Sound and the Dock, 7 Mile Beach north of public beac, East End, just before Breakers, some strips in North Side). This creates a dangerous precendent and opens the flood gates to everyone who owns these narrow strips (almost always with land owned on the other side of the road) to also move the road. To also bring canals into thier property and put up bridges and create marinas! Soon we will not be able to see the ocean anywhere as we drive along! It was done in the past, yes, but we have lost too much already. It is not 1970 – its 2011.
Breaching solid land in South Sound? Where is that?
"The South Sound Channel is dangerous to navigate even by experienced boaters. There will be a real hazard for the developments residents."
Are you proposing to close the channel? Or stop boat traffic from being in South Sound ie closing the public dock?
"Forget hurricanes, annual North Westers will cause serious damage to Emerald Sounds and their neighbors."
Clearly you can't spend much time in South Sound, I've lived there nearly all my life – and worked on boats up and down that coast…when North Westers come that is one of the few calm areas and a big haven for boats seeking shelter.
I for one am sick of the strip developments and blocks of apartments, we need something that is unique and brings a new product to the table.
Talk about a dose of harem scarem!
If the developer is willing to put a boardwalk for running and walking along the water i'm all forit-one south sounder to another.
Are these people serious? They talk of setting dangerous precedents, but imagine the precedent that would be set if the CPA did postpone the hearing because a few objectors were away. No-one would ever be able to get planning permission for anything – 'sorry, I object to this project, but I'm busy washing my socks this week so you'll have to postpone the hearing.'!
What are the environmental concerns anyway? The mangrove there is dead anyway, and the vast bulk of the project involves reclaiming (dead) swamp land. As far as I'm concerned less swamp in South Sound means less mosquitoes. And there will be less chance of flooding in storms as the development will surely be filled to a higher level than the existing road/berm.
This is exactly the type of development project that we need to turn the economy around by giving the construction industry a well needed boost.
Turning the economy around would require business owners, and cayman in general, not to rely on construction to make money.
Over HALF of the work force is directly employed in the construction and development field. Thats more than tourism and financial services COMBINED!!!!
New development and redevelopment of old properties is a key component of our economy and if done sensibly can be a sustainable industry in its own right. However, we clearly need to be increasingly selective in the projects we allow and to be more concerned with environmental impacts. Environmental Impact Assessments must be enshrined in the long awaited Environmental legislation.
And don't think that "The Ritz" won't likely be next in line to propose moving the SMB Rd. (that currently goes through it's property) around and onto the By-Pass Rd. also.
SMB Rd. should be made more pedestrian safe yes! By putting in "raised pedestrian crossings" and lowering the speed limit. But it should NOT be moved to create more " Beachfront Property" for anyone….not even Dart. (The remainder of his proposal looks very workable).
The same principle applies to South Sound and High Rock (EE Rd.)
"Some things are simply NOT For Sale!" And/or should not be.
Wow this is tiring Cayman, can you not just accept change? We are a developing country…we need to develop to grow.
I've seen this project presented in South Sound years ago and I see now problem with.
Mr. R's biggest problem here is that South Sound is the mecca for enviromental/conservationalist zealots.
As one poster mentioned, it is diffinetely a case of people not wanting it next to them.
Where was Burna for the East End seaport?
Exactly!
And where are the two Eastern environmentaly concerned politians?
As you can see it is only what concerns their personal issues, not what's best for Cayman.
This has nothing to do with politics and politicians. It is the people of South Sound and Grand Cayman who are organising against this.
The quote "more is not enough" has never been so true as when it is applied to the greed that exists in Cayman…Caymanians included….as long as people with the "i can get a new fridge" mentality exists we will all perish because what good is a fridge if you have nothing to put in it?
Greed is never satisfied, it kills, it is like a cancer. When are we going to stop the madness? Money is not always the answer. In other parts of the world, countries are saving/protecting the mangroves, while we are allowing every Tom, Dick and Harry to come here and destroy what we have. We have to work together towards a common goal.
Stop the destruction and build a better Cayman Islands. We all have to live here.
When will the people stand up for the country and its ecosystem?
Clearly the Dart road plan is good and this road plan is bad. Dredging alone should wake up the Save Cayman group from their slumber and raise hell. This developer wants to dredge "Save Cayman" that should put some fire in your bellies.
BTW I have been disappointed that "Save Cayman" have no voice in the moving of the landfill by Dart which I support completely.
"Save Cayman" stood up against the East End project, perhaps they don't care about South Sound.
Are you not happy the dump is been relocated. ? You haven’t smelled west bay road recently have you. I wonder what people really want we object to everything. This is one of the disadvantages of press freedom CNS is bad for such a small island that depend on foreign investors. And its about time this generation start speaking out and not allow the old men to tell old time stories, too much marine biologists and geologist around here (I didn’t say some of them never went to school). These people will tell you hurricanes can’t hit Cayman because of the Cayman wall in the middle of a 150 mil/hr storm. Who said anything about earthquakes?
And CNS I notice you don’t like when people make criticism of your site and how you do things but you are ready to attack other people. We call that bias in English
Please reread my post. The moving of the landfill is very important and I have supported it for years, my concern is that groups that should be vocal support for that decision are silent leaving only the obstructionist voices to he heard.
"Save Cayman" present themselves as lovers of North Sound and the current landfill is a North Sound disaster and their support of this governmental decision to move the landfill will help assure that this project actually moves forward.
The dredging of the North Sound fired up this group as well and this development project has considerable dredging thus my question as why "Save Cayman" is silent about the South Sound project when they were so vocal about the North Sound and East End.
XXXXX
Go to planning and look at the plans. See how the marine basin will be higher than Bel Air Drive (think of Lake Pontartrain pouring into New Orleans once the berm is breeched).
I will be at the meeting and I will take a part in stopping this development.
All about greed so that they can move the road and put a few more $5,000,000 houses like the yellow one that is already there. South Sound is a replenishment zone. Dredging and replenishment zones should be mutually exclusive.
http://www.protectedplanet.net/sites/South_Sound_Grand_Cayman_Replenishment_Zone
what the hell are you talking about? 'the marine basin higher than Bel Air Drive' – do you really think this project is going to raise the sea level?
In the cross section drawings in planning, the top of the marine basin is well above Bel Air Drive. Maybe you need to research what happens in a hurricane, the sea level DOES rise because of the drop in atmospheric pressure. That is what the hell I am talking about.
NIMBY NIMBY south sound NIMBY
"Plans can be viewed at the Planning Department." First of all, there is no public parking at the new Government Administration Building. Apparently Planning sees no irony in this. Secondly, when I asked to see the plans today, I was told I had to make an appointment. No thanks. If government doesn't care about our environment why should I? After all, they are the ones with the power.
Let them buld the dock, Ivan part 2 would take care of it!!! I don't which insurance company would cover those "wear and tear" damages.
The Planning Board rejected the recent re-application to blast a quarry at Beach Bay, and destroy a section of the cliffs there. The many re-applications over a decade have caused untold stress and expense for the residents, and amounted to severe harassment. There should be no possibility of this application ever being allowed to come before the Board again. Similarly, the Board and the people have already spoken on Emerald Sound, and that should be the end of it.
Our legislators need find a way to prevent these re-applications, when they have been firmly and unequivocally rejected by the people and the Board.
The Quarry at East End is a prime example of a project that is causing untold distress and discomfort to most right-thinking, caring people. It hangs unresloved over all of us, its baleful, depressing presence like a Hyena, waiting to strip the flesh off Cayman's venerable old bones.
Well first of all let me ask, where is Arden, Alden, Ezzard, and all the others who objected to the East End Seaport?
There is also no sign of "Save Cayman" or "The concerned quarry operators".
Now I have a good one for all of you to read.
The link provided at the end of this gives evidence.
KP's Heavy equipment has applied to have its quarry extended down to 50' below the water table into the same water lens that all the people above and more took the time to have a full demonstration through George Town disrupting businesses and embarassing Cayman on a whole.
Now as far as I can remember, KP's was one of the main Quarrys that were in objection, stating that this water lens was so precious and must not be touched.
What's even more disturbbing is that not a single objection was made to KP's proposal to have this dregging completed. The main person I would expect to see objecting to this would be our great actor "Arden Mclean" but obviously he has a personal issue with Imparato and cares nothing for the prestine environment. There were also no one objecting from "Save Cayman" no individual East Enders.
I support development that can be proven to not destroy the environment on a large scale or long term, such as the East End Sea Port. If this developer can provide the same preventative measures such as Imparato did, then I also give my support.
I have a job, but I know at least 50 others personally that don't and they all have families to support and rent / motgages to pay. Let us think of them and not our selfish concerns.
http://www.planning.gov.ky/
Evidence as promised. Page 33 onward. (See link)
CNS: Here's the actual link you need – CPA Meeting #2011-10 Minutes and the application by KP's Heavy Equipment starts page 25. Note that all of the relevant agencies have advised against the 50ft depth. If there is more on this that you think is relevant you'll have to give us more clues as to where to find it.
First I have heard of this, I'm sure a lot of people and organisations would object to this but it would be best if you tried to inform them instead of criticising them straight off the bat. Ask CNS to do a story on this and I'm sure people will help out.
You won't hear a word of discord from East End Alden or his side kick Ezzard. They are only interested in winning and a real overall concern for the Cayman environment is beyond them.
Sooner or later the true environmentalists will figure out that they have been used.
A new conservation law supported by Alden & Ezzard, no time soon.
When did it go to the board before?
CNS can you locate the file/minutes for the last time it went?
CNS: Here are all the minutes of CPA meetings for 2010 (the agenda and minutes for meeting #7 seems to be missing for some reason). If anyone knows which meeting this was discussed by the CPA it would be easier to find.
Once the precedent of moving the SMB Rd. takes place, more and more such "Proposals" will keep coming and coming.
And it will become increasingly difficult to give rationale why one "proposal" can get approval for such major moves like dredging across and moving major "scenic" roads that have been in place for decades.
As many others have previously suggested….it seems clear why the "National Conservation Laws" are NOT moving forward or given the required priority by our "Honourable" Political Shakers eh!…?
"The development also proposes to remove 120 feet of mangrove."
Um… I'm pretty sure that Ivan killed all of that mangrove. As a South Sound Native I have no objections.
You are the first South Sound native I have ever heard say anything positive about this development. And I have heard dozens. I am a SS native and I've been to the public meetings on this and I have never once heard ANYONE other than the developer and his spokesperson say anything favorable about it. In fact not even the developer himself who has not yet had the guts to address South Sounders himself.
I see – it's OK for Mrs. Cummins to live in a house built on dredge-filled land in South Sound that was part of a project that moved South Sound Road, but not OK for someone else to want to do something similar.
The subdivision where she lives is called Pirates Cove Estates and comprises the area that now has the Tennis Club & Rugby Club and all the sea-front and inland parcels along Mary Read Crescent & Anne Bonny Crescent – the latter being the road that her house is on. It was all previously mangrove swamp with the exception of a narrow strip of sandy land along the sea and it was dredge-filled in 1969/70. South Sound Road was much closer to the ocean and was moved to its present-day position as part of that project.
NIMBYISM is alive & well in Cayman.
Yes lots of it was done in the past but ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and we are not prepared to sit back and let it happen any longer.
We have sacrificed ENOUGH of what is the common fortune of the people of the Cayman Islands.
Let us not compromise another of the precious few vistas that we share. Let us not endanger the lives and property our neighbors. Let us not sacrifice another mangrove forest or pristine shore.
The property market is flooded! We do not need this. On no ground is this a good idea.
I am not sure what you guys are on about, I went to the meeting in south sound too and what I saw would make the area look much better than all those dead pine trees.
The people who want to object are all away on vacation? Well i am glad they can afford vacations. I need a job here.
So should the developer get copies of 1,100 people's daily planners to accomodate them?
The main neighborhood objectors should get as much consideration as the developer don't you think?
What's the difference between main and not-so-main? Net worth? Or bigger mouths?
Open a petition online as they did for the East End Seaport project and through facebook and gather 1,000s of signatures.
These developers never give up…
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?ci345es
I figured this would raise its ugly head sooner or later!! If the road on West Bay can be diverted, why can't it be done for the realtors in South South (sarcasm)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But they aren't trying to cut through West Bay Road …
No, it's worse, they want to cut OFF West Bay Road.
This cannot be allowed to go ahead. The developers are trying to weasel this through but the people have spoken, and they will again. Before they use the arguement of the Dart proposal to move SMB road as a precedent, I would like to point out that this proposal by RS Estates is fundementally different and involves far more than just moving a road in an area that is far more important to the islands ecosystem.
Stand up Cayman. Do NOT allow this to happen. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
How is this any different from the Dart road? Because the developer is Caymanian and we can't allow that? *crab in barrel syndrom*
I don't know about you all, but I'm ready for some work.
Check on who the south sound "developer" is, he is a Caymanian.
Ummmm – point me to the part where Dart is proposing dredging inland and raising the lake above the surrounding properties, and I will retract. Until then, this is about as apples-to-apples as comparing a giraffe to an ant. If it was ONLY moving the road, then I would consider it. As a SS resident who will be DIRECTLY afftected by the potential repercussions of a natural disaster on this modified man-made environment, I absolutely MUST object. BTW – have you seen the plans? Compared them to the Dart plans? Where do you live? The residents of Randyke Gardens already know how badly they suffer from flooding as a result of development behind blinders… This is NOT a Caymanian vs Expat issue – in fact, I can gurantee you the irony that a lot of the objectors to this plan are expats trying to protect Cayman from itself!!!
Have you ever been to any of the meetings for the National Trust? Cancer Society? Humane Society? Crisis Center and others? They are littered with CARING expats. Expats who came to Cayman for what it is (was) and want to use their experience from their own homelands where wanton development, crime etc. made living less than desirabel to protect the Cayman we know from self destruction through greed.
I go back to Dart – every project they have done has garnered an objective force – but I challenge you to show me ONE case where Dart Group has developed something that was not a positive reflection on Cayman. They are tasteful, concerned and give back to the community. Now show me where the developers behind this project have doen anything close to the same? Show me the public areas they developed without asking for reward. Show me the properties they did not MAX OUT development on to get the most return for their dollar. Show me the grand schemes they ave that create public areas for ALL of Cayman to enjoy, and then we can talk…
I can GUARANTEE the Emerald project will be sold as an EXCLUSIVE GATED COMMUNITY.
Read: YOU AND I AIN'T WELCOME UNLESS WE PONY UP THE $$$ TO HIDE BEHIND OUR FENCES.
Prove me wrong, PLEASE, so I can change my tune…
"dredging inland and raising the lake above the surrounding properties"
Caymana Bay has a lot of inalnd canals, but I don't follow you with regards to raising the lake above surrounding properties?
Are they installing a counter-gravity system to rise the tide at Emerald Sound?
Hey Einstein (sorry, Albert, we use that to take the p!ss out of morons these days…)
NOONE mentioned Camana Bay here – that is a seperate project, which, for your tiny pea brained head, I did NOT support for the same reason. HOWEVER, I am man (and woman) enough to accept I was wrong and the development they did there was WAY WAY WAY better than I thought, and FAR more environmentally sensitive than I belived – because I trusted the vox maximus (www.google.com for you…) and never looked into it.
I lived and learned, and now I do my own research. Or, if you want, the Pied Piper is calling and you are welcome to jump along in blissful, unresearched ignorance…)
"far more important to the islands ecosystem."
How is South Sound swamp, that is disconnected from the sea, more important than hundreds of acres of mangrove swamp, connected to the sea, at Darts project?
I guess you're a beneficiary of that?
Quite wrong there Sherlock…
The swamps play as much a part of the eco system as the mangroves. And Dart is doing there best, as far as I can see, to ensure the mangroves are incorparated into their plans. Tell me where this projects doesn't sterilize it's surroundings… Show me where it is attempting to incorporate nature into its development…
Got it, you came up empty…
What a bunch of hog-wash…they just rezoned ALL of their mangrove buffer to residentail in West Bay as part of the "MEGA DEAL" to creat more housing.
How far are you up Dart's system? It's a sad day when a local developer is being compared to the philanthropy of a BILLIONAIRE!
Get the facts, scan the proof, post it, then LOOK LIKE THE IDIOT YOU ARE for not researching it before you uttered your oxygen-wasting breathy of ignorance.
I don't have to defend anything – I speak only the true, filed and approved facts.
Oh, and if I had the luxury of being as close to Dart as you surmise, do you think I would be wasting my energy on your nonsensical assumptions… By the way, I think I see your name in that big word, right before U!!!