Resort-style development for St Thomas

Once regarded at the forgotten parish, St Thomas is undergoing a dynamic transformation with the surge of real estate projects. Among these, the Sun Coast Beach Club, a sprawling resort-style gated community, stands out as a beacon of progress within the eastern parish.

Sun Coast Beach Club Housing Development, a 90-acre beach front property, overlooks the tranquil Caribbean Sea on Jamaica's largely untouched south-east coast. Part of the property was formerly operated as the Sun Coast Adventure Park, which was a popular attraction offering activities such as paintball and hiking.

The development, which is in its infancy stage, is strategically situated near the Southern Coastal Highway, a vital artery which, when completed, is expected to propel St Thomas into a bustling hub of commerce and progress.

The development encompasses town houses, villas, duplexes, and luxurious condominiums, creating an enticing range of choices for prospective residents.

Renowned reggae artiste Gramps Morgan has acquired lands in the Sun Coast Beach Club Housing Development in St Thomas and is set to construct a house which will overlook the sea.

Kevin Frith, the mastermind behind the Beach Club concept and the chief executive officer of TCF Holding Limited, emphasised that the significant driving force propelling the real estate development is the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP).

"Roads bring development, and without the road it would be a difficult sell, as nice as it is," Frith said.

The Beach Club's strategic location adjacent to a section of the Harbour View to Yallahs bridge portion of the SCHIP plays a pivotal role. Both sides of the development are seamlessly connected by an underpass that gracefully meanders beneath the highway.

Frith said that with the SCHIP, St Thomas "is the next emerging [destination]... . It's like an untapped community".

With the project designed to unfold in three phases, a total of 396 units will grace this coastal haven. The overwhelming response from interested parties is a testament to the development's allure.

"We have 133 units in phase one and we have over 500 applications," Frith notes, underlining the project's popularity.

Work is currently being done on a model unit, which is slated to be launched in October, and will give persons an even greater opportunity to see the vision of the property. Phase one of the development is set for completion in December 2024.