MP Egbert Doran urges action on stalled housing projects

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Egbert Doran is calling on the Ministry responsible for public housing Patrice Gumbs to move forward with existing middle-income and affordable housing projects and to resume the land regularization process for long-standing residents over the Bank.

Doran said the middle-income and affordable housing initiatives prepared during his tenure were delayed by multiple lawsuits that have since been dismissed, yet no construction has started. He noted that the project documentation and approvals are on file and can be used to proceed. “Start to build those homes,” Doran said, urging the current minister to conduct due diligence on the existing dossiers and advance the program.

Doran's comments finds grounding in growing debate on social media and community circles about the sparse availability of affordable or social homes, resulting in a deepening social crisis. Professionals returning to the island has been the most vocal about the lack of housing.  

According to Doran, the aforementioned program would add roughly 160 units aimed at households that earn too much to qualify for social housing but cannot afford current market prices. The intent is to help these buyers transition into ownership, which in turn frees up social units for those who need them most.

On land regularization over the Bank, Doran said the effort to legalize long-standing informal housing was paused pending court matters. With those cases concluded, he is requesting a formal update from the minister on issuing land to residents who have already built and on the steps and timelines to finalize their tenure. He emphasized that clearing the backlog and providing title or long-term lease security is necessary for families to invest, access financing, and maintain their homes.

Doran added that the ministry’s portfolio includes public housing and that progressing both the housing projects and land regularization aligns with that mandate: deliver attainable ownership opportunities for middle-income families, improve access to social housing for vulnerable households, and provide legal certainty for residents who have built over the Bank.

In his latest update in August 2025, Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Patrice Gumbs said the drafted housing policy, available in its preliminary form, will define the cost benchmarks for both social housing and affordable housing. “The numbers are very interesting, and we will share them soon,” Gumbs said. “However, the baseline used in the study was not tailored to St. Maarten’s unique land values, and we have more work to do to close the gap between theoretical affordability and real market conditions.”

Once finalized, the policy could be brought to Parliament. It will form the basis for tangible housing development targets and guide both public and private investment. There has been no update since that other than the Minister saying 18 million was secured through capital expenditures to purchase property in Belvedere.

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