Court Orders New Environmental Review of Controversial Tulum Building

Tulum, Quintana Roo — A specialized environmental court has ordered authorities to conduct a new technical evaluation of the controversial Adamar Solimán building in Tulum, overturning a previous dismissal by environmental regulators.

The property, located in the Tankah IV subdivision, remains seized by the Quintana Roo State Prosecutor’s Office as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged environmental crimes. Authorities initially secured the property last year after discovering that official seals placed by the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) had been broken.

The court ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by the development company Tulum Dieciséis, which challenged the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat’s decision to dismiss their evaluation request for the Adamar Solimán project. The company argued that regulators dismissed their application despite it being submitted within the required timeframe.

In the judgment made public earlier this month, the court declared the dismissal null and void. “The plaintiff proved the merits of their claim; consequently: the challenged resolution is declared null and void,” states the ruling in case file 361/25-EAR-01-4, brought by Desarrollos Tulum Dieciséis against Semarnat.

Despite the court’s order for a new evaluation, the property will remain under judicial seizure in Tulum. The case has drawn significant controversy because the company began construction without proper permits, potentially endangering sea turtle nesting areas.

The civil association Defending the Right to a Healthy Environment (DMAS) previously raised concerns about the development, filing legal injunctions requesting that authorities apply appropriate sanctions against the developer. The building also faces a potential demolition order that is currently being contested through legal channels.

The Tankah IV subdivision where the building stands was originally divided under various irregularities by landowner Jorge Portilla Manica years ago.