Melville Cooke, Contributor
I need a roof, over my head
- The Mighty Diamonds
MY BETTER half and I took a very enlightening Saturday drive on... well, Saturday, naturally. We tootled out of the capital, kept out of the way of the maniacs on the Mandela Highway, crawled along the supposed Spanish Town Bypass (which, as Tanya the 'Savage' one pointed out in another forum, needs a bypass itself), hiccupped along to the roundabout which offers access to Old Harbour, Mandeville and the South Coast, duly turned west and saw a new Jamaica.
Over the course of two hours we visited not one, not two, but four housing developments, consisting of basic starter two-bedroom units with room for expansion. The closest to the roundabout along the main road was Magil Palms, a gated community, then there was Whitewater Meadows, with the Vineyards at Bushy Park, just where the toll road begins. On Featherbed Lane, which joins the highway to Old Harbour and the Spanish Town Bypass, with access to Linstead, Ocho Rios and the rest of the North Coast is Innswood.
MODEL UNIT
Forget the fancy names. They are basic housing schemes, with some differences, naturally but all far, far superior to Portmore. And, most importantly, all come in at under $3 million. We shall come back to that. As we drove up to each in turn there was a model unit clearly indicated, furnished to show the possibilities and complete with a sales rep who was eager to display the advantages.
One was free to drive around the community and it was interesting to see a notice board announcing the activities of the Whitewater Citizens' Associa-tion. We often misconstrue rebellion as revolution, mistaking upheaval for fundamental change. I looked at the new housing schemes in that little area and knew I was seeing a new Jamaica. There is the matter of just being able to access somewhere to live and dealing with people who seem not only willing to do business, but very eager to do so (some moreso than others, naturally).
In these times of the instant and short memories many will not remember the days before import restrictions on cars were relaxed, going back to even when you had to sign up to access a Lada. And if the price went up when it landed and you could not pay it, there were dozens more waiting to take your place. That is how I have seen housing whether purchasing or renting in Jamaica for some time, especially in the Corporate Area.
RIDICULOUS PRICES
These St. Catherine schemes should go a long way towards changing that. I also hope that the ridiculous house prices in Kingston will be snipped, if even by a little. Of course, for these housing developments to have their full impact, the traffic nightmare has to be solved. Getting through or past Spanish Town at peak traffic hours is a bit like trying to put credit on a C&W 'cellie' a couple years ago - so tedious that you wonder if it is worth it.
Highway 2000 is very close to Magil Palms and Whitewater, but does that not only mean that you will get to a clogged up Mandela Highway a little faster? Then there is the matter of infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, fire stations (rept. fire stations) and police stations.
The Spanish Town Hospital is already under pressure. These developments will only increase it. The number of schools remains the same and, quite frankly, our 'brand name' mentality extends from clothes to cars to education. People will still be hell-bent on getting their children to the top-rated Kingston schools.
I wonder what this housing boom will mean for Mandeville, though. Is it conceivable that it will provide some more manpower for that prosperous town? With the Melrose Hill bypass and, of course, the toll road, travel time to Mandeville is not what it used to be and getting there from the new developments must certainly be less frustrating than heading to Kingston in traffic.
And, as usual, St, Thomas gets the short end of the stick. There has been a rather hopeful sign about the 'new city to the east' just beyond 11 miles for some time now since I was a child, actually. The corporate spread is just not heading that way.
Back to the price. What is wonderful is that it is conceivable for a single person to access a home. This is especially significant in a country where single mothers are as common as outdated cellular phones. Housing is one of the major things men hold over women. With these developments and I hope there are more to come it is possible for a professional woman to provide a home for her family, so that Vybz Kartel and company can no longer sing...
Plus de ceramic tile an' de gol' plate doorknob
Dat a go cos' yu a b....job
Melville Cooke is a freelance writer.
