The Federal Environmental Protection Agency’s (Profepa) has slapped a temporary closure order on the Iconia real estate development going up on the northern perimeter of the Guadalajara metropolitan area, bordering the city zoo.
The multi-million dollar development has become a topic of controversy after three activists from the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) were arrested on the site during a “protest” in which they planned to plant trees.
Profepa said the developers, Hoteles Riviera Deluxe, were unable to show federal authorities the necessary environmental impact studies permitting work to proceed at the site.
Guadalajara city hall offloaded the plot of land in 2008 but amended the contract with developers in 2016 amid ongoing protests by neighbors, obliging them to include a linear park and sports arena in the project.
Legal experts at the University of Guadalajara say the developers have failed to honor the contract by not finishing work on either the linear park or the sports zone in the specified time frame. They say the Guadalajara City Council would be within its right to rescind the contract and reclaim the property.