A transformative affordable housing initiative could soon move forward in Fox Hill, The Bahamas, as the current Davis administration weighs plans to convert roughly 13 acres of underused vacant land along Bernard Road into a residential subdivision holding approximately 80 new homes, local Member of Parliament Fred Mitchell confirmed this week.
Mitchell shared details of the proposal during a stop at St Paul’s Baptist Church, part of the annual cross-community church visits that kick off the region’s iconic Fox Hill Day celebration season. The vacant site, situated directly across from the 700 Wines and Spirits retail outlet, has been offered to the national government following a series of failed prior development attempts by private actors, according to Mitchell.
For the Fox Hill community, affordable housing has remained one of the most pressing unmet needs for residents in recent years, making the proposed subdivision a potentially game-changing solution for local families seeking stable, accessible homeownership. “I think if we could develop the 13 acres it would be wonderful,” Mitchell told attendees at the church service. “I think you could probably get 80 homes in there or so and it would be a good thing, and hopefully affordable housing for people because housing is a big issue in this area.”
The announcement came amid a long-standing tradition that unites the country’s major political parties around the annual Fox Hill Day celebrations. This year, delegations from both the ruling Progressive Liberal Party and the opposition Free National Movement traveled across the community to join services at four key local congregations: St Paul’s Baptist Church, Macedonia Baptist Church, Mount Carey Union Baptist Church, and St Mark’s Native Baptist Church. In keeping with custom, parliamentarians from both parties joined together to form a combined choir for the services and delivered official presentations to each host church. This year’s program also featured youth-focused programming, including performance pieces and short comedy skits created and performed by local children.
The multi-day church visits serve as the opening segment of the broader Fox Hill Day festival, an annual gathering that draws together neighborhood residents, faith leaders, local nonprofits, and political figures to honor the area’s distinct history, cultural roots, and shared heritage. Held every year on the second Tuesday of August, Fox Hill Day holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously running festival in The Bahamas. The event traces its origins to 1838, when it was established to commemorate the formal emancipation of enslaved Africans across the Bahamas. Today, celebrations retain their traditional core, blending interdenominational church services, authentic Bahamian cuisine and beverages, and widespread community singing and dancing.