Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — An apartment project has been rejected by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat). Last week, Semarnat published the results of its decision to not grant federal permits to construction the Playa Paraiso project.
Company DK del Caribe had applied to be able to construct a 42 unit apartment complex in Playa Paraiso. The project has not been approved for building. According to the Semarnat publication, “the project consists of the construction and operation of an apartment building on a plot of land with a surface area of 1,234.9 m² located in Playa Paraíso, south of Playa del Carmen.
“Playa Paraíso is a subdivision that dates back to 1985 when the property was part of the Municipality of Cozumel. In 1989, the official delivery was carried out through a Deed of Delivery and Reception by the Municipality of Cozumel to the owners of the subdivision.
“The subdivision resulted in 79 lots, Lot 35-01 where the project is intended to be built is part of the subdivision process of lot 035, into lot 035 and lot 035-01.”
Currently, Playa Paraiso is a subdivision of private homes, apartments, hotels, green areas and access to the beach. The Playa Paraíso project was to be added to the existing projects that have been operating in the area, some of which have been in operation for over 35 years.
Developers hoped to construct the Playa Paraiso project on a sea-facing plot of land. Last year, area residents pointed out that that plot of land is next to a sea turtle nesting area and promoted various appeals to prevent its construction after the developer started to build without city permits, which led the Solidaridad City Council closing the project down.
However, after paying a 2 million peso fine, the company obtained the municipal permit without federal authorization, which led to the intervention of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA).
Last week, the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Semarnat) published a resolution in its Ecological Gazette denying authorization, thus cancelling the project. However, the company could still modify its proposal and resubmit the environmental impact statement in an attempt to obtain federal approval.
