Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — A judge has upheld the suspension of a Puerto Morelos real estate development building without environmental permits. The residential apartment complex Sole Blu was one of seven real estate developments shut down by Profepa (the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection) last month.
Inspections took place from June 16 to 24 ending with the suspension of seven developments currently under construction. According to Profepa (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente), six were closed for building without having environmental impact statements and one for building over height.
In response to complaints about numerous real estate developments under construction in the coastal area of Puerto Morelos, on June 16, 17, 23, and 24, Profepa inspectors conducted an inspection and verification operation in the area, during which seven real estate developments located along the coastline were closed, Profepa said in a statement.
The first six developments lacked environmental impact authorization from Semarnat, so they were temporarily closed. The seventh development has a permit but is exceeding its authorized surface area.
The first three inspections were conducted on June 16 at the “Vilma” project located on Rafael E. Melgarse Street. A real estate development was observed, along with the presence of workers on site. They reported that the development will have 10 apartments. The federal environmental impact assessment was not submitted.
The second investigation was carried out at “Musa del Puerto,” a construction site located at the intersection of Cozumel and Javier Rojo Gómez streets. Here, a real estate development was detected in the process of laying foundations.
The work is taking place in an area of approximately 2,130 m², comprising 72 concrete piles, a materials warehouse, an administration booth, and temporary restrooms. The federal environmental impact assessment has not been submitted.
The third inspection was carried out at the “Uva de Mar” project, located on Rafael E. Melgar Street. A six-story building with a basement and roof garden was decommissioned.
This project involved a 12-apartment building; at the time of the inspection, the project was approximately 90 percent complete. It did not submit its environmental impact authorization.
Three more visits were made on June 17, the first to a building located on Javier Rojo Gómez Street that revealed work on an extension to the third floor of an existing building, which also lacks authorization from the federal environmental authority.
In the second inspection of the day, a real estate development was closed. The development will have a basement and seven levels. The area occupied is 3,130 m2 and is under construction. The project, located at the intersection of Javier Rojo Gómez and Vicente Guerrero streets, is called “Sole Blu,” and does not have an environmental impact permit.
The third inspection visit was to the “Soulam” development, which is under construction on a 390 m² area. 12 piles and the foundation have been driven. The presence of machinery was also observed on-site. It does not have an environmental impact permit.
On June 23 and 24, a verification visit was conducted to a real estate development located at the intersection of José María Morelos and Niños Héroes streets, known by the trade name “Bella Mare.”
During the inspection, the authorizations issued by Semarnat (National Semarnat) for the construction of a 2,000 m² building with six floors were provided. However, the building occupies a larger area and does not comply with the green area established in its authorization, which is why the temporary closure of the construction work was imposed.
With these operations, Profepa has inspected all real estate developments under construction in the coastal area of Puerto Morelos.
Earlier this week, a judge upheld the suspension placed against the real estate development Sole Blu after the developer request an injunction, however, the federal judge in Cancun refused.
Sole Blue is one of the six residential real estate projects found building in Puerto Morelos without an approved environmental impact statement. In early June, federal inspectors shut down three illegal real estate developments in coastal Puerto Morelos for also building without the necessary permits.
