Over 300 residents of West Landivar gathered tonight at a forum organized by the Belize City Council at Dolphin Park to express their disapproval to a project by Belize City businessman David Gegg, to build a marina next to the park.
Gegg said that phase 1 of the project would entail docking space for 56 boats, a fully air-conditioned restaurant, a fuel station for boats, and parking space for 80 cars. The project would also include a pier 325 feet by 300 feet, land reclamation of 30,000 square feet and a retaining wall of 500 feet.
The residents adamantly rejected Gegg’s project. Their concerns were that it would destroy the mangrove, prevent the dolphins and manatees from coming to the area, where they make regular visits, pollute the area, make the area hazardous to fires, and preclude the children from enjoying the recreational facilities of the park.
Perla Perdomo, who represented the residents, said she was glad that Mayor, Zenaida Moya, and the Belize City Council organized the forum so that the residents could voice their concerns about the project. She showed slide photos of what the project will look like and the negative impact that it would have on the environment.
Some of the residents told Gegg outrightly that they do not want him or his project in their neighborhood.
Gegg said he leased the land to build the marina 10 years ago, and over the past two years he has gotten approval for a long list of licenses from the necessary statutory boards, which control development where mangroves and the sea are concerned. He revealed that phase 2 of the project would include the construction of office buildings, but the project cannot proceed without a final permission from the Belize City Council.
A source to the newspaper said that this is not the first time that Gegg’s plan for the area has been presented, and derailed.