Blue Mall homeowners outraged

Strong objections to construction plans

GREAT BAY – Last week’s report that the Blue Mall in Cupecoy is about to be converted into a Marriott Hotel got a different twist from a letter the Blue Residence Homeowners Association sent to the mall’s manager José Vicente Melo. This newspaper obtained a copy of the letter that speaks about the construction of additional residential units, not about a hotel.

The homeowners write that the Venezuelan group that runs the mall, Fondo de Valores Immibiliaros – “is contemplating or currently constructing additional residential and/or hotel accommodations on the fourth and fifth floors of the Blue Mall.”

That the mall is not living up to its expectations as a luxury shopping center for the happy few is obvious. Currently, only the ground floor of the colossal building is open and even there, some units have been abandoned by disappointed retailers.

An athletic shoes and clothing store offers 70 percent discount on all purchases and another store has been closed for inventory, though it is obvious that there is no inventory left on the premises.

The upper floors of the building have residential condos; some of them are on sale for more than $1.2 million, but the current residents are not happy with the way things are going.

In their letter to Melo, they “strongly object” to the construction activities on the floors below them. “We are insulted at your arrogance that you would not even consult is before considering such an endeavor,” the homeowners write.

Worse, the homeowners feel that they have been fooled by the property manager. “You misrepresented your abilities and we bought into your promises of a luxury lifestyle experience featuring upscale global brands.”

The buyers paid up to $7,000 per square meter “for the opportunity to be part of this vision” but they are now left with “a poorly managed low grade shopping center that can be considered nothing more than an operational failure. The collection of poorly conceived and relatively unknown retail operators have done nothing to complement the value of our apartments; our very sizable investments keep eroding at a rapid pace and your group continues to bulldoze over us as though we didn’t exist or matter.”

The homeowners also complain about the poor management of the septic system (“which to this day continues to reek of a foul odor”) and the “rarely reliable water distribution system.” They furthermore refer to a poorly maintained generator that has caused numerous power cuts “because the standby generator failed to kick in.”

Other amenities like an intercom system between each residence and the lobby have been promised but never delivered.

That things are not going well business wise appears from the following line in the letter: “The mall which was supposed to be an oasis of cool comfort for upscale shoppers has been turned into a sweltering sauna because of your financial mismanagement and need to cut expenses such as the use of air conditioning. And now you want to add two more floors of residential units to an already overloaded and badly managed infrastructure.”

The complaints don’t end there. The homeowners point out that at least on one floor the building’s façade will have to be cut to fit in windows. “The negative impact this will have on the beautifully designed façade will be horrific and further destroy the value and marketability of this property.”

Another concern is parking: there are 135 spaces available in the underground parking of which 38 have been allocated to the blue residence association. “How will you accommodate 10,000 square meters of commercial space with what’s left, much less two floors of added residences?”

The homeowners – who own one third of the building – demand that “nothing should be changed, amended or restructured without our express consent.”

When Commissioner of Labor Hyacinth Richardson got a tour of the $60-million Blue Mall in July 2009, the developer said that the project would create employment for 500 people, but as is clear now, those jobs never materialized. Richardson in turn promised at the time to help with work permits for foreign labor.

The opening of the mall did however not happen in December 2009 as scheduled. Instead, the project dragged on and on, until finally there was a ‘soft opening’ in February 2013.

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Photo captions:

First photo: The entrance to the Blue Mall in Cupecoy. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

Second photo: This store is ‘closed for inventory’, but all the inventory is gone. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

Third photo: Empty units and no shoppers on the ground floor of the Blue Mall. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar