Unoccupied since the games ended 17 months ago, the complex is mired in a series of legal suits, mostly relating to issues regarding its construction, which critics say was done hastily and contravened many local regulations.
But if decisions about the Villa’s future aren’t made soon, it won’t be long before it begins to show signs of wear and tear, say its developers, Corey Integra. A state trust fund pays workers to maintain the development but this source of money is expected to run out soon.
By now, Corey Integra – a well-known Guadalajara construction firm – might have expected to have recovered a good slice of their original 355-million-peso investment through sales of the apartments. (So too, presumably, would have various state agencies that contributed 1.2 billion pesos to the development.)
Instead, the firm is battling court orders restricting apartment sales or any modification to the development. While the judges ponder over the arguments, state and Zapopan authorities have sent out mixed messages on the Villa’s future, suggesting that it might be better suited for public use, perhaps as a hospital, school, government offices or even homes for the aged.
Neither Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval or Zapopan Mayor Hector Robles want the complex to be demolished, as some environmentalists are urging, but both are reluctant to come off the fence and make a definitive decision about the Villa’s final usage. Robles, however, is adamant that the development should be used for “a noble cause,” and not be sold off as private apartments.
Corey Integra Director Francisco Cornejo says the politicians lack courage and are “frightened” of making a decision. In an interview with Spanish-language daily Mural this week he criticized the way his company has been messed around by authorities and said the entire episode is a “bad sign” for investment in Jalisco.
While the athletes and officials praised the comforts of the Villa during the 2011 games, it received negative publicity when the water treatment plant was unable to handle the sewage capacity. Images of waste water flowing freely into the surrounding green area horrified environmentalists and neighbors of nearby colonias.
Cornejo has been at pains to point out that his firm complied with more than 50 technical specifications demanded by federal, state and municipal authorities and that the excess of sewage was the fault of organizers of the games who completely underestimated the numbers of athletes and officials who would be staying in the village. (Some 6,000 people resided there during the three-week event.) The water treatment plant is designed to function perfectly for 3,000 residents housed in 650 apartments, as per the original brief, Cornejo stressed.
He also decried the “misinformation” regarding the Villa that has been generated since the end of the games, and stressed that the development is “an absolutely viable project.”
Cornejo added that demolishing the complex would be “totally illegal.”