HAJ Undertakes Housing Projects

Acting Managing Director of the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), Gary Howell, says a number of ‘brown field’ and ‘green field’ housing projects are set to kick into high gear in St. Ann, St. James, Westmoreland and St. James, as the agency moves to fulfil its mandate of providing housing solutions for Jamaicans ‘Brown field’ developments refer to spaces which are already occupied by residents but are yet to be regularised by the Government, while ‘green field’ speaks to new unoccupied lands.

In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Howell said the projects consist of hundreds of housing units as well as serviced lots, with particular focus on where there is a greater need for solutions.

“From St. Ann we have Belair (Runaway Bay) and The Savannah (where) we have 50 two-bedroom, two-bathroom town houses and 30 one-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow units. We also have approximately 200 serviced lots on the market, and that’s on the green field side,” he noted.

Mr. Howell pointed out that on the ‘brown field’ side for St. James, the HAJ is undertaking an upgrading project in Grange Penn in the Lilliput community as well as in Norwood, where some 2,000 lots are being regularised.

He added that a major development is also on the books for the Whitehall community in Negril, Westmoreland, where the HAJ is building 154 studio units and making available 233 serviced lots.

Infrastructural works for the Whitehall project, Mr. Howell said, will be completed by the end of March this year.

Residents on the southern side of Jamaica are not being left out as the HAJ is undertaking a major project in the Luana area of St. Elizabeth.

“In St. Elizabeth, we have done 70 studio units and 26 serviced lots. We are also looking at putting a further 150 serviced lots on the market in Luana,” Mr. Howell said.

Later this month, the HAJ will be delivering titles to some 2,000 lot and home- owners in Norwood Phases A, B and C in Montego Bay, St. James.