News

At its meeting on 18 December 2019, the Central Planning Authority (CPA) approved applications by Dart  for the development of a new commercial office building and residential apartment building in Camana Bay.

With Dart’s most recent projects – the Cayman International School (CIS) Early Childhood Centre, CIS High School expansion, and new Foster’s flagship store – employing over 100 local contractors and more than 700 individual employees, it is anticipated that the new developments will generate significant employment opportunities for local contractors.

Preliminary works, permitted under the Camana Bay subdivision, are already underway at both sites. Construction for both projects will begin in January 2020, with the new commercial office building expected to be completed by 2021 and the residential building by 2022.

President Business Development Jackie Doak says, with the town centre’s Class A office space nearing capacity and residential apartments fully leased since opening in 2009, the new developments are driven by client demand.

“The fact that larger commercial tenants are choosing to relocate to Camana Bay and existing tenants are expanding into more office space, is testament both to the strength of the local economy and the appeal of the amenity rich environment that Camana Bay offers,” she says. “We are also experiencing significant demand from international companies looking to establish a physical presence for economic substance or just to create a foothold in the Cayman Islands.”

Doak says accessibility and connectivity are hallmarks of the sustainable design principles that Camana Bay embodies.

“With the recent CIS expansion and the opening of the new Foster’s flagship store, companies want to locate their operations where it makes sense for their business and employees,” she says.

Dart will begin pre-leasing for the new commercial space early in 2020.

In keeping with the design ethos that guides the master-planned community, both the five-storey office building, located to the west of Dart’s headquarters on Nexus Way, and the 10-storey, for-lease apartment block on Bismarckia Way emphasise walkability and green design.

Taller buildings at Camana Bay are an essential component of scaling the lifestyle benefits for an increasing population by maximising density while keeping development footprints small, reducing sprawl, increasing energy savings and conserving resources. Dart also plans to construct the new residential building to FitWel certification.

Launched in 2017, FitWel is a green building certification programme that aims to enhance human health through targeted improvements in the built environment. While FitWel overlaps with LEED® in several areas, including water, air quality and outdoor spaces, the programme goes beyond environmental sustainability to include a more holistic understanding of how built environments contribute to human health and sustainable communities.