Harvest Caye approved by DOE and NEAC

The proposed resort on Harvest Caye, just south of the Placencia Peninsula, has been approved by the Belize Department of the Environment (DOE) and the National Environmental Advisory Committee (NEAC). The Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP) for the project is not yet available because DOE says it was just sent to the developer last week.

According to the EIA and amended EIA (which DOE has taken off its EIA page), the resort will include:

* Private airstrip (to be constructed on fill)
* 11.27 acres of private residential development on the smaller end of Harvest Caye, including:
o Apartments: Seven 3-story buildings - 14 one bedroom apartments, 28 2-bedroom apartments and 14 3-bedroom apartments - total of 122 rooms in 56 apartments
o Beach villas to be constructed on stilts (6 feet in height) (10 one-bedrooms, 5 2-bedrooms - 20 rooms in 15 buildings)
o Over-the-water villas (not clear how many on Little Harvest)
* 10 acres of hotel rooms, over-the-water villas, conference center and utility areas on the main Harvest Caye area
* Spa
* 3 restaurants (one on a pier, one on the beach and one in an open area)
* Marina
* 4 piers
* Retail (shopping) center
* 2 beach areas

Fill for the island and the airtrip will be dredged from northeast of the caye, the lagoon on the caye, access channel area (dredged to 8-10 feet) and area of proposed runway

760 guests at full capacity.

Water will come from Big Creek (same water source as Placencia and Seine Bight).

Garbage will go to the Big Creek dump.

76 employees will be needed, with 26 living on-site

Developer is KrystalSea Ltd, registered in the British Virgin Islands. EIA consultant is Pepe Garcia, Tunich Nah Consultants and Engineering.

Harvest Caye is a prime area for manatee.

The resort will be an enclave resort, as acknowledged in its EIA: "The social infrastructure of the area will be impacted even though for the most part the proposed development will be self-contained to address the needs of its residents, visitors and workers." p. 2-59 of EIA.

Does anyone know if DOE and NEAC have EVER disapproved of a proposed project?

760 guests on one tiny little caye? Where will the sewage go? Let's hope this one never gets off the ground....

And there's Pepe Garcia again!