The Chapalita neighborhood association cancelled its traditional September 15 “Grito” celebration for the first time in 20 years in protest at the planned construction of a 109-apartment and office block in a prime location on the landmark glorieta that bears the same name as the colonia.
After decades of abandonment, the famed “Casa Aguilar Figueroa” – built by one of the founders of the leafy Guadalajara neighborhood – was demolished in July.
Efforts by Mónica del Arenal, director of Guadalajara’s Museo de la Ciudad, to preserve the house as a property of intrinsic artistic value fell on deaf ears. She had stressed that the house was a fine example of the city’s “Modernist” architectural moment of the 1960. It was built in 1965 by José Aguilar Figueroa, one of the first generation of students to graduate from the University of Guadalajara school of architecture.
The urban development watchdog agency (Prodeur) concluded earlier this year that the Casa Aguilar was not worthy of any special protection for its cultural merit.
It is not clear how the property fell into the hands of a developer but it appears to have been sold by descendants of Aguilar Figueroa after a long legal battle was resolved. The house 
was unoccupied for almost three decades and cars from the 1960s and 70s sat parked in the driveway gathering dust. For a brief period several years ago, rides on sleds pulled by teams of Siberian Husky dogs were offered around the property.
Association President Jesus Eduardo Ruvalcaba Sanchez says neighbors are furious at Guadalajara city hall for giving the green light to preliminary plans for a project that he says will “threaten the sustainability” of the neighborhood.
Sanchez, who is an architect, says Colonia Chapalita will be unable to provide services for a sudden spike in the number of its inhabitants. Almost uniquely in the metro area, the Chapalita neighborhood association administers its own water service from wells located in the colonia. It also manages garbage collection service, as well as public lighting and the maintenance of green spaces.
In response to the move to cancel this week’s Grito celebration in Chapalita, Guadalajara Mayor Ramiro Hernandez said the municipal government does not decide which properties are suitable for cultural protection. He said he has no legal power to influence such decisions, even though he may wish to do so.