The environmental regulator has approved a 171-unit complex on Trafalgar Road in New Kingston, granting Ripton International Capital Holders Ltd planning permission that would make the development among the largest Kingston residential projects in recent memory.
The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) board issued permits in February authorising construction at 8 Trafalgar Road, St Andrew.
Ripton’s application received approval for “housing and resort projects” up to “171 units”. Ripton, when contacted, indicated its willingness to discuss the project but at a later date.
In 2016, the previous owner listed the land and existing architectural approvals for US$9 million through Coldwell Banker Jamaica. That scheme – a nine-storey commercial office building with 286 parking spaces and a gross area of 98,480 square feet – never advanced to construction. Ripton’s project, on the surface, represents a change from office to resort-hotel use.
The lot sits a block away from the AC Hotel, Kingston, which spans 220 rooms also the S Hotel Kingston, which has 125 rooms.
Close-by residential towers include Proven’s Via at Braemar, which comprises 99 apartments, and the Von Strolley-developed 20 South on South Avenue, which holds 80 units. Both are emblems of Kingston’s condo boom over the decade.
The previous boom in the 1990s featured the construction of high-rise headquarters for financial institutions in and around New Kingston, the business district.
Environmental permits are a required but preliminary step in the approval process. Building permits, engineering sign-offs, and financing arrangements must follow before any construction can begin. Ripton International Capital Holders Ltd. did not respond to a request for comment regarding a construction timeline or project financing.
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