Seven of 52 homes sold at Joes Hill

More than two years after the Social Security Board began marketing the 52 homes at its Joes Hill Manor Estate development, seven have been sold and another seven sales are currently “pending,” according to Health and Social Development Minister Vincent Wheatley.

In response to questions from opposition member Marlon Penn during Friday’s House of Assembly sitting, Mr. Wheatley said the SSB has sold one single-bedroom condominium, two two-bedroom condominiums, two two-bedroom homes, and two three-bedroom homes.

He added that the “pending” sales include two single-bedroom condominiums, two two-bedroom condominiums, one three-bedroom condominium, one two-bedroom home, and one three-bedroom home.

The sales numbers that Mr. Wheatley reported on Friday are up three from last October, when SSB Deputy Director Lorie Freeman told the Beacon that four units had been sold and about 10 prospective buyers were in negotiations to purchase others.

‘Affordable’ housing

The project was initially advertised as “affordable” housing for first-time homeowners, but after the SSB began marketing the units in mid-2022 — at prices ranging from $275,900 for a one-bedroom condo to $625,000 for the largest three-bedroom townhouse — buyers didn’t materialise as hoped. In fact, they barely materialised at all, despite the government relaxing the application criteria in June 2023 to allow non first-time-homeowners to purchase the homes as rental units.

The Joes Hill Manor Estate has been plagued by problems including a parking lot that collapsed during heavy flooding in May. (File photo: FREEMAN ROGERS)

Land slides

Over the past 13 months, major landslides and a collapsed parking lot at the development have exacerbated the situation, though the SSB has said that remedial works were planned to address such issues.

The project has cost at least $27 million, and Mr. Wheatley has acknowledged that the SSB is unlikely to see any return on its investment.

Land purchases

On Friday, Mr. Penn also asked for “a detailed breakdown of the monies spent to purchase property by the Social Security Board for similar housing initiatives like the Joe Hill Manor project and other land purchases.”

In response, Mr. Wheatley cited a detailed breakdown included in documents that he said he had provided to Mr. Penn.

Those documents have not been provided to the public, but Mr. Wheatley also told the House that the total land purchases cost the SSB $15,196,957.50.

He did not provide a breakdown or disclose the location of the land outside Joes Hill.