The Jalisco state government is ready to grant a 30-year concession to a private developer to construct and operate the Parque EduCreativo Huentitan, a major cultural/entertainment complex set to occupy a 20-hectare plot at the corner of Calzada Independencia Norte and Periferico Norte, adjoining the Guadalajara Zoo.
Once finished, the new complex is expected to house the annual Fiestas de Octubre (state fair), which has outgrown its current space a few miles west along the city beltway.
Despite strong objections from neighbors regarding the environmental and social impact of the proposed complex, the project looks set to proceed, with detailed plans already drawn up by the Jalisco Secretariat of Infrastructure and Public Works (SIOP).
A important feature of the space will be its abundance of green areas and paths. The complex will house two arenas, for 5,000 and 15,000 spectators, the larger one also suitable for sporting events. There will be a new planetarium (the old one standing on the site is currently abandoned), an exhibition hall, a music school, an “ecological” pavilion, an area for mechanical games, a zone for concession stands and a parking lot.
Some estimates of the final cost of building such an ambitious complex are as high as $US390 million – a sum that is more than the entire annual budget of the municipality of Guadalajara. Several state legislators, including independent Pedro Kumamoto, believe the expense is too great and argue that far more important public works should take precedence.
It is not clear exactly how much a private developer will need to invest in the project in return for the 30-year concession.
The project is part of a master plan designed to revitalize this run-down area to the north of the metropolitan area. Another section of land adjoining the proposed complex will house a botanical garden, to be administered under the watchful eye of the University of Guadalajara, while a major residential development is also planned in the zone.