KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has laid out an ambitious slate of cross-sector development projects for the parish of St Ann, spanning affordable housing, public recreational space, tourism infrastructure and community upgrades, as a core part of the national government’s push for inclusive, sustainable long-term growth across the island.
The comprehensive development plan was formally presented during a high-level stakeholder meeting held June 10 at the UDC’s downtown Kingston headquarters, with Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, UDC leadership including Chairman Norman Brown and General Manager Bobby Honeyghan, and other key partners in attendance.
During the meeting, Honeyghan detailed the slate of place-focused projects set to transform the popular resort town of Ocho Rios and its surrounding St Ann communities. Upgrades are already underway at high-traffic public and tourist destinations including Ocho Rios Bay Beach and Waterfront, Turtle River Park and Shaw Park, while a major new 9-acre development is proposed for central Ocho Rios. Iconic national tourist sites will also see full redevelopments, including the world-famous Dunn’s River Falls and Park, Belmont Cove (locally known as Little Dunn’s River) and Laughing Waters.
Beyond tourism and public space improvements, the UDC is advancing a large-scale affordable housing program across St Ann, with three new developments planned at Mansfield, Chalky Hill and Malvern Park. Honeyghan confirmed that the three sites will deliver between 1,500 and 2,000 new housing units, a contribution designed to ease the country’s persistent unmet demand for accessible housing.
Prime Minister Holness praised the UDC’s progress and emphasized that the agency plays a critical underrecognized role in advancing the government’s national housing agenda. “Many Jamaicans don’t realize that our national housing policy isn’t delivered only through the National Housing Trust and the Housing Agency of Jamaica,” Holness noted. “We are receiving substantial support from the UDC through projects spread across every region of the country.”
The prime minister added that housing initiatives are already moving forward in parishes across Jamaica, including Portland, St Catherine, Caymanas, Portmore, Westmoreland and St Elizabeth, in addition to St Ann. Across all UDC-managed development portfolios, the agency is on track to deliver roughly 12,000 new housing solutions nationwide, adding significant new supply beyond the units already planned by the NHT, HAJ and the government’s New Social Housing Programme.
UDC Chairman Norman Brown reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ensuring all new development delivers measurable, tangible benefits for everyday Jamaicans while aligning with national long-term growth targets. “At the UDC, our mission is to create opportunity through strategic investments that expand access to affordable housing, upgrade public spaces for community use, strengthen Jamaica’s global tourism offering, and stimulate local economic activity,” Brown explained. “The projects we are advancing in St Ann embody our commitment to building communities where people can live, work and prosper, with development that remains inclusive and sustainable for generations.”
Wednesday’s meeting forms part of the Jamaican government’s ongoing work to accelerate national economic growth, expand housing supply, improve public amenities, and unlock new development opportunities across all parishes. As the UDC continues to advance its project pipeline island-wide, the agency remains focused on delivering developments that attract private investment, create local jobs, strengthen communities, and raise the overall quality of life for Jamaican residents. The St Ann initiative marks another key milestone in the UDC’s ongoing work to build dynamic, resilient, sustainable communities aligned with the country’s core national development priorities.