M.I.D.H. Launches Bay Leaf Palm Estates in Armenia Village
Back in February, Blackberry Ridge Estate, a collection of starter homes was launched by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing in Burrell Boom. Today, a community development project was officially launched in Armenia Village, several miles outside of the capital city of Belmopan. It is an opportunity being afforded to residents of the village, as well as public officers wanting land for development. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
The village of Armenia on the Hummingbird Highway is expanding and today, Bay Leaf Palm Estates was officially handed over to the community. One hundred and twenty-eight house lots were issued to first-time land owners who now have the opportunity to develop their property and construct homes.
Cordel Hyde
Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources
“This is what it is about, ensuring that young first time land owners get an opportunity to own a piece of the jewel. This is as good as it gets. It is a wonderful, beautiful magical area as you can see. It is going to be a nice planned community and it is absolutely needed because it is hard to get land in Belmopan, hard to get land in those surrounding areas. What they did, which I thought was beautiful, they are giving seventy-five percent of the hundred and twenty-eight lots to the residents from this village, from Armenia – lot of young people who want land – and then the balance twenty-five percent would be given to a combination of public officers and persons from surrounding communities who don’t have land.”
The area was privately owned and the government paid close to five hundred thousand dollars for acquisition. The project is the brainchild of Cayo South area representative and Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing, Julius Espat.
Julius Espat
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing
“We looked all over Cayo South and land is really just not available, but you had a land owner out here that owns quite a bit of acreage and we managed to work out a deal with him where government would acquire the land for this specific use and it worked out, but it took two and half years. This area that you are standing is open area, it is reserved and we want to make sure it is in the law that nobody can come afterwards and try chop it up. It is passive recreation and all communities need that kind of stuff. We also have on the other side an area reserved for commerce and schools and infrastructure. So we have to bring in a substation for the police. We will start with pre-primary, a health center linked up with Armenia. We have to bring in commerce, shops because you can’t just have houses; you have to be able to provide other amenities.”
Today, staff from MIDH came out to help with facilitating the registration process. Minister of Natural Resources and Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde says that at this time their paying eighty-three dollars for their purchase approval and within two to three years, each land owner simply has to pay the five hundred dollars and they can then apply for their title certificates.
Cordel Hyde
“We try to organize it in such a way that it’s not haphazardly done; that we do it as a bilk and try to speed up the process.”
Julius Espat
“I am in communication with the chairman of B.E.L. I am also in communication with the entire board of BWSL; if you notice they were invited guests here too. But we are doing it in such a way that it won’t be a hindrance for them. We are providing them with thousands of clients cause we are linking it up with Armenia. Armenia has a serious water problem, BWSL provides water but they need to be paid. So we are providing them with the clientele to justify the investment.”
There is a second phase of Bay Leaf Palm Estate that is adjacent to the current subdivided area that is being proposed, as well as another similar, but larger project in Belmopan. Duane Moody for News Five.
