We missed the mark! Wheatley says many mistakes in Joe’s Hill project
The government missed the mark when it completed the much touted Joe’s Hill housing project last year, but Ninth District Representative Vincent Wheatley claims that he has since learnt from those mistakes.
Wheatley, while speaking at a weekend rally for his Ninth District launch, counted the distribution of Crown lands and the provision of affordable houses as key priorities for him once he succeeds in getting back into office.
But he also conceded that the $26 million housing project for first-time homeowners embarked on by the Andrew Fahie-led Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government in 2020 was riddled with mistakes.
Dubbed the Joe’s Hill Manor Housing Development, the project entailed six one-bedroom condominiums; 18 two-bedroom condominiums; six two-bedroom split-level condominiums; 13 two-bedroom houses; three three-bedroom houses; two two-bedroom townhouses; and four three-bedroom townhouses — amounting to a total of 52 units.
Wheatley, while acknowledging that the construction project executed under his watch as Social Development Minister was intended to offer affordable housing, said it was an incredible learning experience for him.
He added: “A lot of mistakes were made down there and we missed the mark… [but it was] a good project.”
However, he vowed to replicate the project to improve the lives of Ninth District residents but promised to do so without those mistakes if given the opportunity. “I know how to do a similar project here — that you can afford — and that I’ll do,” Wheatley stated.
Meanwhile, the current Social Development Minister, Marlon Penn, recently stated that a decision must now be made on whether the homes will continue to be restricted to first-time homeowners or whether they will be expanded to other buyers.
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This is funds from the social security board, our savings! What do you mind missed the mark!
What were the mistakes and what would change now to avoid those mistakes. Be specific.
0.5 million per apartment is far from affordable . I can build decent standalone housing for that kind of money.
You and Andy were more interested in ripping off them ( island people ) when the worked honestly to make a living by DOUBLE TAXING
THEM, using money gram as an excuse/ and leaving those holy employers who is not contributing their share of TAXES , BOY YOU ARE A WICKED MAN , BUT YOUR DAY WILL COME, JUST LIKE THE ONE IN MIAMI
investigations now fully complete on 4 govt ministers
3 5 7 and popcorn and then there is
custom boss or former boss
who going get arrested ?
ASK the M16 secret intelligence personnel who here in everybody business and working along with US intellgencia
Mistakes??? when you deliberately do things that is NOT a mistake
Extend to other homebuyers!!!
Extend to those who can afford!!!
This is moneys that was INVESTED for a RETUFN to our Social Security!!
SToPMUCKIinG with our Social Security!
What done is done. Just have the cost of these homes reduced to a level where they are made affordable to the People they were said to help. It’s hind time the People be entailed of what they were promised. Actions speaks extremely louder than when mouth opens and empty words comes out.
WE NEED TO ELECT A SOBER GOVERNMENT WHO WONT MAKE ANY MORE MISTAKES
You must miss the mark if you refuse to plan properly. The units are expensive. You need to have some type rent to own programme like what they did at Lovernland in St Thomas.
Did any of these condos actually get sold?
I would buy one, but to rent, I don’t want to live there.
Please editor, set up a straw poll so we can express confidence or lack in all candidates as a group.
For now, I invite likes/dislikes as follows.
LIKE if you have confidence in enough of the candidates to make this election worthwhile.
DISLIKE if you’re tired of the same old approach and feel BVI deserves a total reset.
Yes, we know, everything is a mistake. You’ll do better next time, next time, next time…..
Everyone vote for the mosquito. They suck less blood from the people.
Is there a time where you ever hit the mark?
What happened to the billions of Government revenue paid in since the 1980s given our terrible infrastructure and poor public education? Can we be told please?
Can we have a proper reconciliation of money in and money out, please?
Where’re use to it now.
Okay so were averaging 500K for a one bedroom. 26M for 52 dwellings. So why is DDM costing 9.5M to build. This is insane price for DDM. YOu should not learn from your mistakes at the cost of the tax payers money. This is not good Governance.
Hmmm… The Hon. Mr. Wheatley’s tenure in charge of the Labour Dept. saw the place turn into a festering quagmire of bureaucratic BS, delay and politician’s double talk excuses. Then then he’s hold a meeting with “stakeholders” to be able to claim he was working on it and paying attention to the users’ needs… Except for the part about “working on it and paying attention to needs”.
NOT exactly a feather in his cap.
If I wasn’t still on the waiting list 4 years now for status I would’ve gladly snatched up one of those stand alone’s butttttt, that looonggg waitin list to even get acknowledgement, add the triple “expat-tax” – ‘it tain for we’.
Thats a good question! I guess the People may not get a return or benefit from our tax payers money being funnelled into this venture….but at least we can say we SEE whe it gone….a bunch of empty buildings sittin preetty on the hill side.
I truly believe Sowande when he said he made mistakes but he learnt. I think he will be a very good Premier..
As this is a SSB investment our pension funds must not take a huge loss. Best is to accept this is a failure, sell the units to any buyer at cost+ then go back to the drawing board with the sales proceeds. The development is in the wrong place, up a steep hill with no public transport. Social Development apartments need to be in Lower Estate or East End with ease of access.
Typical. A whole community and I doubt there was thought for a communal garden, or any form of sustenance accumulation which the buildings can facilitate.
All those palm trees in the back ground but how many were planted that will provide food?
What kind of crazy decision making happening concerning our retirement moneys in this place. What the France is SSB getting involved with housing? This demonstrates that the SSB management is not and needs to be autonomous of government. Ppl need to be held accountable for this one.
Haha. If the mosquito is on the ballot, I will vote for them because I am surely not voting for any human.
The whole VIP is a mistake
This boi is an id**t don’t bring this bull shit about mistake the whole Vip Is a mistake
I just feel like I hear “we made mistakes and we learned” after every project. So at what point will they have learned enough to not make mistakes any more?
$26 million for 52 units ? $500,000 each? In what world is that social housing.
The average house building cost in the USA including all homes from mansions downwards is $286,000.
Gross incompetence and pocket lining once again.
Change this rotten government.
I hope this won’t be on his list of 100 accomplishments that I am eagerly awaiting. Also, would you say that @ $1.6 million we got value for money at the market square project that is still not completed? I await your response…….??
Politicians anywhere is politicians everywhere. This dude said that the Joe’s Hill Manor Homes will be all occupied even though Honourable Marlon said they were too expensive !!
Totally inept
lolol
Well when you want to jump on a man for a wall when you got the walls of 52 condominiums down as a freaking mistake, who the hell is the ‘humpy dumpy’ now? God don’t like ugly. Nobody had to call them out. They calling themselves out.
This humpy dumpy got to be Loco. Falling off of one wall is a mistake. But you fall off the walls of a Joes Hill unit, you went back again. You fall of the walls of another Joe’s hill unit, you went back again. AND AGAIN AND AGAIN 52 TIMES? WITH MY PENSION FUNDS? SO LESS PENSION FOR ME AND HOW MUCH FOR YOU? That is NOT A MISTAKE! Mehson, VIP need to get from here.
Those houses in the USA are built with cheap materials: I witnessed the actual building process where they used plywood, 2X4s, and sheetrock. These buildings here were built with more durable materials. NO F…G COMPARISON.
Take a tour of the homes, they are poorly constructed, everything looks dated. Besides, these are NOT affordable, have the first year’s mortgage free or reduce the interest rate that is suited for first time home owners. You all are wasting money and have no clue WTH you are doing…shame.
With the prices of them units, did they have the virgin islands people in mind or did they have the cartels and hezbollah in mind. If the latter, it would make sense.
If everyday all we are hearing from members of the VIP is: “We made Mistakes” But yet they’ve refused to talk to the people of this territory, All of a sudden now they are VIP Let’s Talk. (!) Are these people who know what they are really about? (2) Are these people we should entrust our territory to? (3) Are these people showing good leadership skills? (4) Are the people of the BVI so naiive in thinking that electing the VIP Government back into power anything would change? A Government with NO inclusion of the people But continues to recite We are for the people and by the people? (5) Granted, everyone makes mistakes. No One is perfect except for Jesus Christ. But if we again elect a VIP Government, Can the people of this territory deal with the outcome? Electing a VIP Government means free reins for a UK takeover. Can we earnestly deal with that? Food for Thought.
They are not Social Development housing, they are Social SECURITY. People fail to understand that this is not social housing. It was meant to be somewhat affordable, yes. But was never meant for poor people. People saying 250,000 is too expensive, but let me see you buy a piece of land and build a spacious two bedroom and see how much it costs for both the land and to complete the building.
From get go the whole Vip Was a mistake
Where all those Mercedes and BMW drivers who these houses were for instead of people driving Suzuki?
I could have sworn the Joes Hill Manor project started under the NDP and was an NDP idea…but VIP taking all the heat. The problem is the SSB is trying to make a huge profit. The jus need reduce the prices and the units will go.
Only a fool would vote VW back into office.