Dreams delayed

Two housing developments in Hellshire, St Catherine, have become symbols of both promise and frustration for their eager homeowners.

However, while the Hellshire View development being undertaken by a state agency is mired in delays and mounting tension amid a communication failure, structural engineer Devon Sterling has sought to assuage anxious buyers in flagship project, Hellshire Green.

Sterling, the managing director of Selogen Limited who is aiming to make his mark with this long-delayed development, told The Sunday Gleaner that he is grappling with the complex realities of construction, financial pressures, and the expectations of those who have already staked their hopes – and savings – on a new beginning.

He admitted feeling embarrassed that his first independent project, which sold out shortly after its official opening in 2020, is still not completed.

He said he has made considerable efforts to stay in touch with buyers, returning calls, even offering advice on matters such as the appropriate size for curtains in their new homes.

Despite these efforts, he has been forced to push back the project’s completion to June this year – the latest in a series of missed deadlines, which he attributes to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, design changes, and other unforeseen complications.

Despite their frustration, potential residents of Hellshire Green last week expressed appreciation for Sterling’s responsiveness and professionalism, which has helped alleviate some of their concerns.

Sterling explained that 69 units at Hellshire Green, including 21 two-bedroom bungalows, are nearly 80 per cent complete. Still, one apartment building is lagging behind, and some finishing touches are needed for the bungalows. Roadways and other community amenities also remain to be installed.

“I’m embarrassed by the wait. I don’t like the idea that the project has been held up so long, and that is one of the reasons why I always try to make myself available. When persons call Selogen, it is my direct number that they call,” emphasised the structural engineer, who after being employed on other major projects, branched off years ago to start his own business. Hellshire Green is the flagship project for his firm.

During a site tour last Thursday, Sterling highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on the availability, cost, and delivery of building materials, as well as the effects of tropical storms, legal delays with regulatory bodies, and issues with utility providers. While some challenges have been overcome, significant work remains on the apartment buildings.

FINANCIAL PRESSURES

Although he acknowledged the delays, Sterling explained that the financial pressures of a project like this are immense.

“When you look at the cashflow life cycle, from you start the development, you are in the negative. You have to be putting in money either to meet your equity requirements or otherwise. Then you take on a loan, which basically puts you in debt. You remain in debt throughout the project until you can hand it over. When you get the sales, you start to cover the debts that you own. It is only then that you start making some profit,” he explained.

“So when a project like this, which would normally take two years to do [is delayed], you are holding your breath for that time because you are not getting an income from that project until the end. That destroys a lot of persons,” he explained, noting that if it were not for a conglomerate of other developers who have loaned money over the five years, he might have suffered a similar fate.

Tiffany Turner*, who paid over $700,000 in deposits, said she is struggling with rent while anxiously awaiting her new home. After calculating her future mortgage payments, she hopes they will be $10,000 less than her current rent.

Tracy Moore*, another potential homeowner at Hellshire Green, has been staying with family since paying for her $12.5 million unit in 2021.

“Don’t get me wrong, Mr Sterling seems like a decent individual, but I’m just saying houses now are very expensive ... and I’m just pretty much frustrated, hoping this year, I will be able to move into my new home,” she said, adding that she is hoping to change jobs soon, but only after her housing predicament has been resolved.

STONEWALLED

Sterling’s efforts to communicate stand in stark contrast to the situation faced by potential homeowners of Hellshire View, another delayed housing community in St Catherine. Residents of this gated development have been begging for updates from the Housing Agency of Jamaica Limited (HAJL), the government body responsible for the project.

More than two years after making their down payments and with multiple missed deadlines, the last communication from the HAJL came in March 2024.

Christopher Honeywell, managing director of Rite Solutions Developers Limited, which is handling the project, explained that delays were due to issues with a faulty feasibility study, problems with rock types, and insufficient equipment and funds to clear Shooters Hill, one of Jamaica’s ecologically sensitive areas. According to Honeywell, the HAJL is primarily responsible for sales and customer communications.

But weeks after a story in which the HAJL promised a fulsome response to questions from The Sunday Gleaner, the agency has failed to respond to direct questions regarding the approval of the protected Shooters Hill site for construction; its part, if any, in the commission and approval of the faulty feasibility study; and its reasons for failing to communicate regularly with the potential homeowners. It also failed to provide a requested list of its other development projects islandwide, the status of these, and reasons for any delays.

The HAJL operates under the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, and although Permanent Secretary Arlene Williams was contacted for an interview, she declined due to “prior pressing commitments”. She did, however, invite emailed queries from The Sunday Gleaner, which she also failed to respond to, directing the questions back to the HAJL.

The lack of communication has left Hellshire View property owners – some of whom have paid up to $17.2 million for two-bedroom units – feeling dejected, hopeless, and confused.

“So HAJL is really not going to respond, and it has been over a year now?” bemoaned one of the members of a Hellshire View WhatsApp group, as others chimed in with confused emojis.

For now, their properties remain incomplete, with no roofs, windows, or doors, and only a handful of workers on site each day.

*Names changed.

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com