Schooner Bay Village

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Schooner Bay Village

Bahamas
Organization type: 
for profit
Budget: 
$1 million - $5 million
Website:
http://www.schoonerbaybahamas.com
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Inspired by timeless traditional harbour villages, Schooner Bay creates an authentic community sitting very lightly in the environment using highly sustainable architecture and urbanism to create the first authentic Bahamian town of the 21st Century. Schooner Bay embraces alternative energy systems such as geothermal and solar, and building design is highly sustainable, confirmed by LEED ratings. Schooner Bay has set aside more than 70% of its land to be left in a natural undeveloped state. We are committed to authentic green living and creating a true sense of place.

About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

Suburban sprawl is characterized by poor residential building stock and lack of walkable community structure. Island communities have been ruined and degraded by automobile-centric development patterns with no discernible character of place or sense of human scale. The sprawl patterns that have slowly erased much of our urban history are also a reflection of the gradual drain of our country's economic prosperity as in recent decades many lost faith in or simply abandoned the early traditions of our wealthy seafaring nation.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

We are unique among all the land development projects in The Bahamas today as the only one inspired by & patterned after the ways we've lived & thrived for 200 years as a seafaring nation. Our architecture strictly follows traditional Bahamian patterns because these are the ones that have been proven to work sustainably here for centuries. But Schooner Bay isn’t just an historic replica, as we amplify the effects of these proven best practices with the most modern and innovative green building technologies. Innovation is equally strong in the community design. We are building a real, affordable, open and complete community with farming, fishing, residential, school, medical, businesses and tourism; a place one can live, work and play for a lifetime. The automobile is largely kept out of the coastal village and life focuses on the harbour, coppice, dunes, beaches and ocean. The first New Urbanist community in The Bahamas, Schooner Bay is the antidote to the suburban sprawl that has ruined Nassau. Schooner Bay is a non-gated coastal community welcoming the public instead of excluding them with walls and security guards. We have a large regional farming component that will diminish reliance on food imports. 75% of all property owners to date are Bahamians. No other new development project here can boast such a trend. That makes us more than unique. Our lot & home sizes tend to be smaller, making the town more compact and walkable. We only plant native species in our landscaping. We propagate on site. We have removed all invasive vegetation and restored more than 900 meters of dunescape. We don't rake seaweed off beaches, but leave it for nature to use as intended. Our village is designed in transects, just as nature is. We will treat all wastewater and reuse for agriculture and landscaping. All homes are built of fortified, poured concrete and steel, built to last centuries. Our 14 acre harbour makes us a real place and connects us by boat to the sea highway
About You
Organization:
Schooner Bay Village - Abaco Bahamas
Visit website
Section 1: About You
First Name

James A

Last Name

Malcolm

Website

http://www.schoonerbaybahamas.com

Organization

Schooner Bay - Lindroth Development

Country

, SAB

Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name

Schooner Bay Village - Abaco Bahamas

Organization Phone

12423662044

Organization Address

Po Box AB 20016 Marsh Harbour Abaco BS

Organization Country

, SAB

Your idea
Country your work focuses on

, SAB

Website URL

http://www.schoonerbaybahamas.com

Would you like to participate in the MIF Opportunity 2010?

Yes

Innovation
Do you have a patent for this idea?

Impact
What impact have you had on your clients and the tourism sector?

When the town, destination & economy of Schooner Bay is firmly established in late 2012 with 50-70 homes, a fishing lodge, regional farming & fisheries, the harbour & yacht club, eco-tours, medical & retirement facility, K-6 school, it will then be a tourism destination (ie. the town is the resort). No brands or hotel chains needed.

Actions

We hope to be a model for future development and restoration of place and communities in The Bahamas. We must lead by example, as governments will not - they tend to follow. Many people struggle to envison or embrace our ideals, so to ensure they do so in the future we should not only talk, but act (ie. build the place).

Results

Sales in the last 18 months have been steady with more than 45 properties sold and 6-8 businesses committed to the community. By end of 2011 more than 28 homes and the town inn will be complete. Farming and fishing has started.

What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.

In 3 years time we expect to have close to 75 homes built, harbour open and welcoming small vessels. Farming will be thriving. School, food store and clinic will be open. Waste treatment facility will be operating. Town inn and rental homes available. We are well on our way to this goal. No mandate to build a certain amount of houses & businesses. We grow at a sustainable pace. Real places take time to build

What would prevent your project from being a success?

A major Global depression. War. Radical political change.

How many people will your project serve annually?

101‐1000

What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?

More than $4000

Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy or introduce models and tools that benefit the tourism sector in general?

Yes

Sustainability
What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

In what country?

, SAB

Is your initiative connected to an established organization?

Yes

If yes, provide organization name.

Schooner Bay Ventures & Lindroth Development Co Ltd.

How long has this organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?

No

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?

Yes

Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.

Bahamas National Trust (our national parks system) has a field office at Schooner Bay. Our head engineer sits on the national board for sustainable development and other govt committees. The Commons at Schooner Bay is 100 acres of public land that is now in a trust to be used by the greater south Abaco community for economic empowerment, farming, light industry, recreation, community events. The Commons is run by a board of governors. Other enterprise opportunties with the private sector will let Schooner Bay become a platform for regional economic development. A coastal region. "We have identified the "First 40 Businesses" that need to be established before one may officially call us a town. But we grow sustainably in both the village and outside community. Thee live close to 2000 persons withing a 30 minute drive of Schooner Bay. Local residents who are expected to patronize many of these businessses until Schooner Bay Village reached critical mass to suppor them. We are intergating a new economy into a region ripe for it. From a tourism perspective we already have established commitments from two well know Fly Fishing Outfitter operators who are forming a JV and will build a lod

What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?

Overpopulation and the sprawl of Nassau and other places in our country will continue to enable our success. We are affordable in price point, allowing middle & upper middle class persons - of a diverse background - to be able to live at Schooner Bay. The current state of things and lack of planning and other social ills will see to our success.

Further destruction, threats to or lack of preservation of coastal zones in a country know for the most beautiful beaches & waters in the World.

One's growing desire to simplyfy economically and downsize their over consumed lilifestyles and be more in the outdoors open spaces, near the sea and a more natural way of live. That simple. Very much in appeal to those on the older side of Gen-X people. Walk more, live closer to work, grow & catch your own!

The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?

There was no single moment, but rather a growing realization over time that the ways we've been planning and building in the Bahamas in recent decades are not nearly so sustainable, healthy, or endearing as the places we once built. The only sustainable and enduring places in The Bahamas that have stood the test of time and still thrive as loved and real places for locals & visitors alike are those tradtional harbour village such as Hope Town, Abaco - Green Turtle Cay, Abaco and Harbour Island, Eleuthera. And so we set out to study these places in great detail, both at the scale of the town and the scale of the buildings. Schooner bay is patterned after and inspired by them; we believe that it will one day become one of them.

From a tourism perspective, these authentic towns become the resort or holiday experience in and of themselves. We build the place and thus we have the resort. No brand, no casino, no golf, just a real place for visitors, 2nd homeowners and residents alike to enjoy and love.

Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.

Our founder, developer and visionary - Mr. Orjan Lindroth. He is a true community builder and inspired by his childhood growing up in Nassau in the 50's & 60's. He has seen how poorly we build places and so-called communities in this country and decided that it was time to do it right with the lessons learned from the past and the present.

How did you first hear about Changemakers?

Friend or family member

If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company

Colleague - our head engineer & project director

MIF Opportunity 2010
Has your organization been legally constituted or registered in your country or one of your target countries for at least three years?

Yes

Does the applicant organization have sufficient financial resources to guarantee the co-financing required by MIF during the execution period of the project? (This amounts to at least 50% of the project’s total budget with 25% in cash and 25% in-kind.)

Yes

Does the applicant organization have experience managing projects co-financed by international organizations? Please describe below

no

Please classify the applicant organization according to the options below

Enterprise/Profit corporation

What problem-area does your project address?

Access to knowledge and training, Access to markets.

How will your project address this problem?

We seek to create a place for Bahamians to live, work, play, school, engage in the arts and develop entrepreneurial ideas and projects. We hope to serve as a model for a 21st Century island nation where coastal living is a given.

Who is benefited by the initiative? (Please highlight the type and number of beneficiaries, and their role in the tourism value-chain.)

Any and all Bahamians and visitors. Together they will make up a diverse and open community that allows all to enjoy and prosper as they wish

How will the project's results assist the region’s tourism sector and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises?

It will show that to properly enjoy and vacation in The Islands of The Bahamas, one does not need to do it thru a hotel or cruiseline brand. It will offer authentic experiences that are uniquely Bahamian. Much like the 3 places previously mentioned

A. Total Budget (100%)

US$ Not disclosed to public and not very relevant for sustainable projects

B. MIF Contribution (up to 50% of total budget and US$. 500.000 max)

US$0

C. Cash co-financing (at least 25% of total budget)

US$0

D. In kind co-financing (at least 25% of total budget)

US$0