by Howard Campbell
[SOUTH FLORIDA] – A well-known figure in the Jamaican Diaspora, Dr. Allan Cunningham has a strident commitment to his homeland although he has lived in South Florida over 30 years.
That commitment is manifested through Bel-Air at Wilshire, a luxury apartment complex being built by his company, Advantage 21, in the Trelawny parish of Jamaica.
Ground was recently broken for the project which is located on Jamaica’s scenic North Coast. Its estimated cost is $1.4 million with completion scheduled for November.
Targeting Jamaicans in the Diaspora
The complex will comprise seven two-bedroom apartments and two one-bedroom apartments. Going rate for the two-bedroom will be $250,000 pre-construction and the one bedroom apartments is priced at $170,000 pre-construction.
Cunningham said Jamaicans in the Diaspora are his main prospects for Bel-Air at Wilshire.
“Even though I have built a couple houses both in Florida and Jamaica, this project is definitely the first of its kind for me. Living in the Diaspora for over 30 years gave me a clear picture of what others (in the) Diaspora would like and so they became my target market,” he said.
Cunningham disclosed that work on the complex began last June, not long after Advantage 21 purchased the land from a friend. He believes its close proximity to the world-famous resort areas of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios should make the apartments an easy sell.
Growing Tourist Destination
“The property represents a certain tranquility that is unmatched in that particular area and for the price too! Trelawny is perhaps the fastest growing tourism destination on the North Coast. Plus it represents the perfect mix of luxury, commerce, and travel accessibility and infrastructure,” Cunningham noted.
Real estate developers have built similar communities in Jamaica, geared at Jamaicans living overseas. Richmond in St. Ann, close to Ocho Rios, is arguably the most popular of them.
Born in Kingston, Allan Cunningham moved to South Florida in the late 1980s. He is honorary chairman of the Jamaica Diaspora Southern Region, which covers 13 states.
