Take Initiative Nassau

Take Initiative Nassau has been launched to promote the revitalization of downtown Nassau, to educate the public and as a forum for an exchange of views on the subject.
Bay Street is located in the heart of Nassau and in its heyday was a tourist mecca. It was the envy of the region with its lovely historic buildings, duty free shops of fine perfume and cameras, pretty horse and carriages, and exciting Bahamian night life. It was a prime location for Bahamas real estate.

Sadly, Bay Street has deteriorated and is no longer the jewel it once was.

But plans are afoot to breathe new life into downtown Nassau.

Vaughn Roberts, managing director of the newly formed Downtown Nassau Partnership (DNP), and redevelopment advocate Alastair Knowles at a recent meeting outlined the exciting plans for a new downtown Nassau.

They include adding pedestrian areas, lots of cultural events, green spaces, an art district, homes and a marina. The container port would be re-located, thus easing some of the congestion in the city.

As far as Bahamians acquiring/renting real estate for business purposes, Roberts suggested property owners might compromise on rental and sale prices, and recognize they can serve their interests as well as the downtown district.

A possible scenario might allow a tenant to renovate a derelict building in exchange for rental concessions.
The architect, Jackson Burnside, recently highlighted the huge potential of downtown Nassau using a three-pronged development approach. These are exciting days for our old city and we would like to encourage the people involved in this project to forge full steam ahead.