Figure 1: Artist impression

What a new city built around the marine, yacht and small cruise ship industry means for Curaçao:

New Sustainable Industries:
New marine industry along Schottegat shores: Sail makers - Diesel revision companies - Electronic repair and calibration shops for navigation, communication and security instruments – Marine fire equipment revision - Small craft yards – Yacht Storage facilities – International and Off-Shore yacht registration – Metal shops specialized in marine works – Refurnishing, fixtures and fitting shops to repair or improve yacht interiors – marine retail shops – fishing and water sport equipment shops and many more marine related industries. Why betting our economy on one industry. Why not many smaller industries that attracts small marine industries, tourist and the entertainment industry, culture arts and crafts visitors.

Employment/Jobs:
PDVSA presently (2009) employs 990 local people and 5 Venezuelans. Realize that the refinery property stretches from Recreation Park, all along the Roodeweg, Breedestraat (O), over the Emma Bridge, through Breedestraat (P) and Pietermaai to the Kerk van Pietermaai. It is almost twice as wide. Now picture how many people live and work in Seru Domi, Roodeweg, Sta. Famia, Colon, Otrabanda, Punda, Pietermaai, Skarloo and Fleur de Marie and you see what we envision. A new city employs thousand upon thousand new workers in regular jobs, such as policeman, bank tellers, cashiers at supermarkets, people working at snack bars, in small shops, bars, restaurants, nurses, drivers, chauffeurs, street cleaners, teachers, office employees. In addition the new, grand amphitheater is planned to employ well over 3,000 jobs and provide a thousand more to work at home, during set ups and as temporary workers.

Rent:
There is no discussion on what PDVSA pays in rent. It is the lowest rate anyone can find in Curaçao. No person, no company no entity pays less rent than PDVSA: a shameful 45 cents per square meter per month. The Curaçao Freezone, Curinde, PDVSA’s direct neighbor leases warehouses out for Nafls 18.00 per m² a month. We mention this as we like to compare apples with apples. PDVSA rents prime waterfront with an industry built on it. Curinde rents less than prime waterfront property with a warehouse built on it for Nafls 18.00 per m² per month.

Total rent:
PDVSA rents 440 HA waterfront property in the harbor plus 160HA seaside property at Bullenbaai. They pay US$ 18,000,000 (2008/9) in rent. If Curaçao were about to lease 440HA developed property in the harbor and if we take of 140 HA to provide roads, parks and other non commercial real estate, 300HA of developed real estate could be rented out. This would give Government a gross income of US$ 530,000,000 (300 HA x 10,000 mtrs x Nafls 26.50 x 12 @ exchange rate of 1.80).

Why Nafls 26.50? This is an average possible rent. In the Freezone you can rent a strand-steel warehouse for Nafls 18.00 per m² per month. In the Renaissance Hotel or at the Handelskade retail shops rent for about Nafls 100 per m² per month. A 200 m² waterfront home may rent out for Nafls 5300, less expense homes cost half of that and subsidized government housing will be charged at 1/10 of that amount.

Population:
The population for that piece of land has been calculated and planned for 30,000. Families will live in subsidized homes, rented homes, flats, apartments, golf course villas, waterfront homes, condos and villas. A large part will be reserved for lower income government homes.

Cleaning and preparing the property:
The question is not if the land can be cleaned: It has to be cleaned. What if refineries become something of the past? Are we going to leave the land as is? We have to clean up. If not now, next year - if not next year sometime in the near future. We must clean it up. Our generation. We cannot leave it to our children and grand children. The cost at present is estimated at US$ 1,500,000,000.