The Morant Bay Urban Centre: A Critical Look at Accountability Amidst Hurricane Impacts

By: Wayne Forbes /GTV Editor

February 18, 2026

The Morant Bay Urban Centre: A Critical Look at Accountability Amidst Hurricane Impacts

The Morant Bay Urban Centre in St. Thomas was officially opened on May 15, 2025, with Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) Chairman Lyttleton Shirley stating it was "complete and ready for occupancy" with remaining work to be finished concurrently during a three-month rent-free build-out period for tenants. However, nearly a year later, in February 2026, the facility still lacks basic utilities like electricity and water, has unresolved sewage issues, and most commercial spaces remain unhanded over. In an interview on Nationwide, Shirley reportedly blamed hurricanes for the delays, despite the centre opening after Hurricane Beryl (June-July 2024) and before Hurricane Melissa (October 2025).

The Timeline Disconnect

Hurricane Beryl passed south of Jamaica as a Category 4 storm in July 2024, causing flooding, power outages, and infrastructure damage in St. Thomas, including blocked roads and disrupted water supply. But construction on the urban centre continued after Beryl, and the opening was scheduled for May 2025—nearly 10 months later. Hurricane Melissa, a catastrophic Category 5 storm that struck western Jamaica in October 2025, caused widespread destruction but primarily affected parishes like St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland, with limited impact on St. Thomas compared to the west. This timeline raises questions about how storms that occurred either well before or after the centre’s opening could be the primary cause of its ongoing incompleteness.

Can Hurricanes Explain the Utility and Facility Shortfalls?

While hurricanes can disrupt infrastructure, the specific issues at the Morant Bay Urban Centre require scrutiny:

- Electricity: Both Beryl and Melissa caused widespread power outages across Jamaica, with Beryl affecting hundreds of thousands of households and Melissa leaving 77% of the island without power initially. However, utility restoration efforts typically prioritize critical infrastructure and commercial developments. If the centre’s electrical systems were not fully installed or connected before opening, post-hurricane delays in grid restoration could exacerbate issues—but this does not explain why connections were not in place at the time of the ribbon-cutting.

- Water: Flooding from Beryl damaged water infrastructure and disrupted supply in St. Thomas, with about 70% of customers affected nationally. Similarly, Melissa damaged water systems in western parishes, but St. Thomas faced less severe impacts. Water outages can also stem from broken mains, corrosion, or poor planning—factors unrelated to hurricanes. The centre’s lack of water connection may be due to incomplete internal plumbing or delays in linking to the national water network, rather than storm damage alone.

- Proper Facilities: The absence of intended facilities (such as the planned medical complex and additional government agency spaces mentioned in phase two) is part of the project’s original timeline, not a result of hurricane damage. While storms can delay construction materials delivery or on-site work, phase two was set to commence after the initial opening, meaning these gaps were planned and not caused by weather events.

Questions of Accountability

Opposition spokesperson Anthony Hylton has criticized the project as a "public relations stunt" and "fiscal irresponsibility," noting that small business operators who invested in anticipation of the opening have faced significant financial losses. Shirley has defended the early opening as "strategic planning," arguing that concurrent work with tenant build-outs is standard in commercial development. However, the gap between the promised timeline and current reality, coupled with the attribution of delays to hurricanes that do not align with the project’s timeline, raises concerns about transparency and accountability in public infrastructure projects.

Moving forward, it is essential for the FCJ to provide a clear breakdown of the factors contributing to the delays, including the role of pre-existing construction challenges, post-hurricane recovery priorities, and any budget overruns.