A J$24 billion contract for 1,446 new homes in St James has been signed. The houses, the Government says, will come in phases, and a minimum of 20 per cent of the units is reserved for tourism workers.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, 14 November 2026
What was signed
On Thursday, a joint venture agreement for the Grange Pen Greenfield Project in St James was signed at the offices of the Housing Agency of Jamaica, at 13 Caledonia Avenue in Kingston. According to the Jamaica Information Service, the project is valued at J$24 billion and will provide 1,446 housing units, in a partnership between the Housing Agency of Jamaica and China Harbour Engineering Company Limited.
The agreement was signed by the Prime Minister, representatives of the engineering company, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, and the Managing Director of the Housing Agency of Jamaica.
What was promised
The project is intended to provide affordable housing for low and middle income earners, particularly people who work in tourism. A minimum of 20 per cent of the units will be reserved for tourism workers, and the work will be done in phases.
The Prime Minister also said a requirement of the joint venture is that at least 60 per cent of the workforce will be Jamaican. The official report did not announce sale prices, a date for the first handover, or how many phases the project will have.
What the cartoon shows
Our cartoon takes the official wording at face value. A hoarding on a green field in St James promises 1,446 homes, with a smaller sign that says the work comes in phases. Only a single unfinished shell stands behind the fence. A small sign marked 20 per cent marks the share reserved for tourism workers, while families and workers wait at the gate.
What to watch next
A signed contract is a start, not a set of keys. Until prices, a building timetable and a first handover date are published, the 1,446 homes remain a figure on a hoarding. For tourism workers, the reserved share will matter only when those units can actually be bought and occupied.
In Grange Pen, the houses will come in phases. The wait for the keys starts now.
Visit our YouTube Community ↗