Bimini Harbour Yacht Club, Bimini Islands, Bahamas
The Bimini Harbour Yacht Club project includes condominium residences and a marina on approximately five acres in North Bimini, The Bahamas. The Developer retained Coastal Systems International, Inc. to prepare the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) required for project approvals.
The EIA documented terrestrial and marine conditions within the property and the development proposal. The terrestrial environment was significantly disturbed prior to initiation of the development project and therefore impacts were determined to be negligible. Coastal Systems worked with the Developer and the Government of the Bahamas (BEST Commission) to design a dune creation project as a mitigating factor for overall project implementation. The dune system designed by Coastal Systems will both stabilize the beachfront area of the property and provide habitat for native dune flora. Coastal Systems further designed and negotiated the approvals for the project’s marina component, including 100 in-water slips.
The EIA also included a detailed social impact assessment study which was commissioned and managed by Coastal Systems. Local residents were surveyed for their perceptions about development and reaction to the specific development proposal. The survey determined that the local population was largely supportive of the project and Coastal Systems advised the Developer regarding implementation of economically-viable community enhancement projects that would further serve to establish positive community relations.
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