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In December, 2002, the Di- rector of Mazatlan´s Urban Planning and Ecology
Department invited 27 people to a meeting at the Pueblo Bonito, Emerald
Bay Resort to launch a development concept plan for the area known as Nuevo
Mazatlán. Among the high profile invitees were then Mayor Rosete, the Coordinator
of Tourism for Sinaloa, Ignacio Zepeda, Vice-President of the Technical
Committee for the Urban Image of Nuevo Mazatlán, Ernesto Coppel Kelly, municipal
officials from the planning departments, tourism association heads, architects,
biologists and engineers. The concept plan had been gazetted (officially
published) by the State of Sinaloa on August 14, 2002. Although the Pacific
Pearl has been unable to ascertain who sat on the original planning committee,
according to Mario Juarez, Assistant Manager of the Pueblo Bonito, the plan
is the brainchild of Ernesto Coppel Kelly, owner of the Pueblo Bonito resort.
Coppel Kelly is, Mario says, the “guru” when it comes to Nuevo Mazatlán.
He went on to explain that Sr Coppel envisioned an American-style planned
community for the area, based on the architecture and colors found in Mazatlan´s
Centro Historico, which would incorporate green space, parks, height, density
and use restrictions. Ecological sustainability was a high priority. The
perimeters of Nuevo Mazatlán run north from Cerritos to Marmol and are bounded
by the Pacific Ocean and Mazatlán-Culiacan highway. The area encompasses
22 kilometers of pristine beach and 3,500 hectares of land, most of which
is uninhabited. The Federal government has stated, off and on, that it plans
to use some of the land along the Nuevo Mazatlán coast as a stop-over point
in its ambitious Escalera Nautica concept, but no concrete plans have been
published. The Nuevo Mazatlán plan divides the area into three distinct
uses: 1.Tourism: hotels & condo- miniums, vertical and hori- zontal 2.Residential:
single family dwellings, and 3.Businesses & Services: commercial zone, restau-
rants, social and recreational areas Tourism Vertical condominiums and hotels
are limited to four floors, while horizontal ones are limited to three.
According to Mario Juarez, several international hotels have recently expressed
interest in the area. Residential Single family dwellings cannot exceed
two floors and chimneys or domes must not exceed two meters. Oil or enamel
paint is forbidden. Paint colors must reflect those used in the Centro Historico,
and the plan goes so far as to provide a chart of allowable colors for exterior
walls, including specific color combinations for walls, doors, windows and
moldings. Frontage is restricted to six meters. Water tanks, gas tanks,
etc. must not be visible from the street. The plan sets out what |
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trees and plants are permitted in Nuevo Mazatlán, such as Mango, Tamarindo
and Primavera trees, and gardenia and laurel bushes, and no vegetation may
block the view of adjacent buildings. Businesses & Service: It is perhaps
in this area that we see the idea of an American-style gated community adopted.
No neon lights, billboards, flag posters or inflatable advertising signs
are permitted. Signs must be made of iron or wood and discreetly lit. Service
vehicles are permitted in the area only between the hours of 10:00pm and
7:00am. Businesses must not encroach on sidewalks or streets. Communication
towers or elevated tanks are not allowed. And only light industries, such
as restaurants and other community services have a place in the plan. The
plan also provides for: -all sidewalks to be handicap accessible -underground
wiring -sanitation pipes (no septic tanks) -rainwater pipes cannot be grounded
-municipal water supply -trees wider in diameter than 15cm or 8 meters high
must be conserved -sound equipment cannot ex- ceed decibels established
by PROFEPA -no beach parties -no music on the beach -no alcohol on the beach
-no motor vehicles on the beach The Plan for Nuevo Mazatlán, however, has
not addressed some obvious problems. Train tracks run close to the beach
dissecting the area. According to residents, one or two trains a day pass
by. Aside from the noise factor, the tracks are ungated and present a safety
risk. Will the tracks be moved? The only road into and out of the area at
the moment is a dirt road, which regularly floods leaving residents stranded
for days. The municipality is responsible for its upkeep and hopeful improvement.
With public works funds tight, will the burden fall on owners and developers
to build this road themselves? Many property owners in Nuevo Mazatlán are
unaware of the plan. Their homes, already built and occupied, do not conform
to the stringent regulations. Will they be grandfathered into the plan,
or will they be forced to tear down or remodel to conform? Given current
economic conditions, it is unlikely that Nuevo Mazatlán will see extensive
development between now and the year 2010. Even if it did, when the current
plan terminates in 2010, will the entire concept change? In the final analysis,
the Plan for Nuevo Mazatlán is a step in the right direction. No, it won´t
reflect what we have come to know and love as Mexico, but it will attract
investors and buyers looking for a North American lifestyle in a Mexican
community. And it will attract tourists. Perhaps our only concern should
be that with a sizeable planned and fully serviced community to the north,
and with the charmingly renovated Centro Historico to the south, what will
happen to the old guard in the middle, the Zona Dorada? (The Plan for Nuevo
Mazatlán 2002—2010 can be obtained from the Planning Department at City
Hall.) |
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