Richmond Hill Club: ‘A city within the city’

MADE up of 120 condos and 526 residences that all have a breathtaking blend of sea and mountain views, the under-construction Richmond Hill Club sits on an iconic site that already has more than two centuries of rich cultural heritage. It’s a solid foundation on which Jarran Development Company Limited intends to build what is described as a city within the city. “It was the first property registered with TPDCo [Tourism Product Development Company] as a tourism property, so that legacy is impossible to give up,” Project Administrator Kenneal Lee, from project designers XKR Consultants Limited, told Jamaica Observer’s Real Estate on the Rock during a sit-down last Thursday.

The development is being built on the site of what was once Richmond Hill Inn. It is an address that evokes fond memories in many Montegoians who, for years, used the venue as the backdrop for major milestones in their lives: graduation parties, wedding receptions, a few days away from home, and more. Before being destroyed by fire in 2019, Richmond Hill Inn also had the distinction of holding one of the largest private collections of acclaimed Jamaican artist Barrington Watson’s work.

“It would be remiss of us not to find ways to encourage cultural exchange within this particular space — whether through restaurants; green spaces; spaces where a person can come for enjoyment, and entertainment,” said Lee. The vision behind Richmond Hill Club, he said as he made his way through a sleek, multimedia presentation, is to create a space in Montego Bay that connects with the city as it is now — and what it will become. “At Richmond Hill Club you’re less than 10 minutes from the [Sangster International] Airport, you’re less than a few minutes from Fairfield.

You’re walking distance to Sam Sharpe Square, walking distance to Harmony Park [and] to Doctor’s Cave [Beach Club]. Part of it is really the redevelopment of the city as a place to be; we call it the city within the city,” Lee explained. His presentation was delivered with a quiet confidence, shaped by his faith in the team that has come together to work on Richmond Hill Club.

The developer is Jarran Development Company Limited, and this is the first of what is expected to be many more projects. “Jarran Development is a new company but the contractors, the technical and professional [teams] behind the project, aren’t really new to constructio…