Cooper: Govt receiving investment inquiries about downtown

The government has been receiving inquiries about hotel and entertainment investments for Downtown Nassau, as the aspiration to revitalize that area continues, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper said yesterday. He added that another dilapidated building is scheduled to be demolished after Easter, while the owners of other structures that are considered eyesores downtown are being encouraged to either sell or renovate. Cooper said his government has accelerated the redevelopment of the downtown area in the last three or so years.

“This project has been going on for about 40 years,” said Cooper. “I want to make that abundantly clear, there are short-, medium- and long-term goals of this project. “The first phase has been to engage the stakeholders.



The second phase was to find some very quick wins to be able to deliver to the Bahamian people, that are very visible. And we are very proud of those murals (painted in the second phase). And we expect there to be even more, because they support the creative artists in the creative community of our country.

“You should anticipate that you’re going to see more art districts, more cafés, more restaurants, you’re going to see more residences. You’re going to see much more to do and see in Downtown Nassau. “We are actively engaging with our cruise partners at the moment to encourage overnight stays or later stays.

” Cooper said if the government is successful in convincing cruise lines to stay longer, there will be much more investment in Downtown Nassau. Cooper added that a food truck park is in the works, with food trucks purchased and en route to Nassau. “We’re going to be, very shortly, opening an active food market with trailer trucks.

Those trucks are on order,” he said. “We expect this to be exciting. We’ve done green spaces.

We’ve spent inordinate sums to keep Downtown Nassau smelling fresh, looking fresh, managing rodents, et cetera. So, I want to say a special thanks to the people engaged on this project, and I’m I’m certain that the acceleration you’ve seen over the last three years will continue.”.