Inner Kingston development

The private-public Kingston Restoration Company (KRC) and the parastatal Urban Development Corporation (UDC) will implement the project, which will include community outreach and small business support programs. KRC will be responsible for the rehabilitation and/or construction of 600,000 sq. ft. of work space in or near a 100-block area of Inner Kingston - 375,000 sq. ft. for light manufacturing and 225,000 for mixed commercial use. Activities will focus on 6 "development areas" which will serve as anchors for long-term revitalization. Factory and commercial space will be built and managed by private developers and cost recovery, e.g., through rent or sales at market rates, will be emphasized. Reflows will be reinvested to support economic revitatilization in Kingston. The project will yield some 830 new permanent jobs and 1,800 person-years of construction work. KRC will make small outreach grants to local institutions to encourage community participation in the revitalization effort, and will also support small business expansion in the target area by: (1) providing grants of up to 20% of capital expenditures (or a maximum of J$40,000) to small firms that expand or improve facilities in the area; and (2) expediting credit to firms relocating to or expanding operations in Inner Kingston. UDC will be responsible for one large commercial activity - a transportation terminal/commercial center to be undertaken with public-private financing - and for infrastructure activities, including major improvements in sewage, traffic, and road systems throughout Inner Kingston, and sewer and water main replacements and road and sidewalk repairs in the six development areas. Both KRC and UDC will receive management TA and training (short courses, seminars, and U.S. visits). TA to UDC will focus on establishing a land management information system for Inner Kingston; computer support will also be provided to this end. TA will be provided by Jamaican experts and short-term expatriates. Under separate obligating documents, A.I.D. will further support community outreach through grant and/or cooperative agreements with other community organizations.