As predicted in the article on the hotly-debated Lake City project published in the Guadalajara Reporter’s April 11 edition, a technical finding issued last year by Chapala’s Department of Urban Development (DDU) is loaded with caveats and conditions the developers must adhere to in order to obtain final approval and a building license from the city government.
DDU Director Manuel Buenrostro Martinez has provided this newspaper with a complete copy of the eight-page Dictamen de Trazos, Usos y Destinos Específicos (Official Opinion on Outlines, Uses and Functions) dated April 28, 2014, with his signature, plus an attached annex.
The bottom line of the document’s content is that the proposed building site is considered “susceptible to exploitation,” qualifying as a “low density, mixed land use district” that allows use for vertical housing, tourist hotels, commercial enterprises and services. However, the finding amounts to nothing more than a preliminary assessment of the project’s feasibility in compliance with Jalisco’s Urban Code and related zoning regulations, based on a sketchy first draft of the Lake City master plan.
The single-page annex clearly specifies that the 2014 DDU opinion does not constitute authorization to initiate construction, which will be contingent upon presentation of the complete executive project, to include the property ownership title duly filed with the Public Property Registry and all other requisite legal and technical documentation.
In addition, it lists 15 specific provisions for submitting the full plan, such as inclusion of separate scientific studies on the zone’s topography, geological slide plates, soil mechanics and geohydrology related to rainfall runoff; a manifestation of environmental impact; technical findings on matters of traffic and roadways and civil protection; all to be carried out by reliable experts in their respective fields. Chapala’s SIMAPA water and sewage authority must also approve the project’s feasibility and receive payment of corresponding rights.
Buenrostro suggests that the traffic congestion such a huge housing and commercial complex would likely provoke along Chapala’s main east-west artery can be solved by building a wide boulevard connecting an upper entrance to Lake City to the Libramiento bypass. It’s a measure that would also improve access to several highly populated Chapala neighborhoods and isolated areas that are prime for future development.
If the project eventually gets a green light, the developers will also be obligated to cede 16 percent of the 260,349- square-meter land area to the municipality, or give title to property of equal dimensions at a different location.
The DDU dictamen was directed to Suites by Naymar (sic) Chapala, S.R. de R.L. C.V. (variable capital limited liability company), with attention to Joaquín Soria Palacios, who was introduced at the April 6 Lake City presentation in Ajijic as vice president of Grupo Naimar, the project’s development corporation.
Buenrostro verified the authenticity of an official DDU letter to Soria dated March 20, 2015. However, the copy labeled “license” that was sent out by Grupo Naimar spokeswoman Ingrid Sacre misrepresents the letter’s content. The document only provides an estimate of fees the company will have to pay in order to obtain a building permit for Lake City. The amount mentioned is 48,533,046.89 pesos, subject to modification in accordance with revision of details outlined in the final plan.
According Buenrostro, the Lake City project was drawn up as a substitute for a more modest housing complex designed by Suites by Naymar Chapala for the same location, which was proposed and passed initial muster under Chapala’s previous administration. The official says his office will have to review full plans for the more grandiose development to decide whether it is admissible under terms for a “change of project,” which might simplify the approval process.
Buenrostro explained that the original project involved construction of villas and a street grid under a formula of high and medium-high density land use. It included installation of a cable car, but no high-rise structures.
At this point, the final fate of the Lake City dream remains very much up in the air. Word of the project has now spread to lakeside’s Mexican community, sparking a similar degree of consternation as that expressed by a significant number of resident expats. The polemic project is also starting to get play in the Guadalajara media.
Meanwhile, this newspaper has asked Chapala’s leading mayoral candidates to weigh in on the matter, with statements on their postures expected any day now.
technical findings on matters of traffic and roadways and civil protection; all to be carried out by reliable experts in their respective fields. Chapala’s SIMAPA water and sewage authority must also approve the project’s feasibility and receive payment of corresponding rights.
Buenrostro suggests that the traffic congestion such a huge housing and commercial complex would likely provoke along Chapala’s ma
in east-west artery can be solved by building a wide boulevard connecting an upper entrance to Lake City to the Libramiento bypass. It’s a measure that would also improve access to several highly populated Chapala neighborhoods and isolated areas that are prime for future development.
If the project eventually gets a green light, the developers will also be obligated to cede 16 percent of the 260,349- square-meter land area to the municipality, or give title to property of equal dimensions at a different location.
The DDU dictamen was directed to Suites by Naymar (sic) Chapala, S.R. de R.L. C.V. (variable capital limited liability company), with attention to Joaquín Soria Palacios, who was introduced at the April 6 Lake City presentation in Ajijic as vice president of Grupo Naimar, the project’s development corporation.
Buenrostro verified the authenticity of an official DDU letter to Soria dated March 20, 2015. However, the copy labeled “license” that was sent out by Grupo Naimar spokeswoman Ingrid Sacre misrepresents the letter’s content. The document only provides an estimate of fees the company will have to pay in order to obtain a building permit for Lake City. The amount mentioned is 48,533,046.89 pesos, subject to modification in accordance with revision of details outlined in the final plan.
According Buenrostro, the Lake City project was drawn up as a substitute for a more modest housing complex designed by Suites by Naymar Chapala for the same location, which was proposed and passed initial muster under Chapala’s previous administration. The official says his office will have to review full plans for the more grandiose development to decide whether it is admissible under terms for a “change of project,” which might simplify the approval process.
Buenrostro explained that the original project involved construction of villas and a street grid under a formula of high and medium-high density land use. It included installation of a cable car, but no high-rise structures.
At this point, the final fate of the Lake City dream remains very much up in the air. Word of the project has now spread to lakeside’s Mexican community, sparking a similar degree of consternation as that expressed by a significant number of resident expats. The polemic project is also starting to get play in the Guadalajara media.
Meanwhile, this newspaper has asked Chapala’s leading mayoral candidates to weigh in on the matter, with statements on their postures expected any day now.{/access}