Developer Revives Controversial Condo Project in Cozumel Jungle After Past Environmental Fines

Cozumel, Mexico — A real estate developer previously fined for unauthorized construction is moving forward with a new condominium project in a jungle area on Cozumel island, now rebranded as Punta del Mar Cozumel with an initial investment of 65 million pesos.

The project, promoted by Inmobiliaria Punta Tormentos, will consist of nine five-story towers with penthouses totaling 84 residential units, featuring various amenities. It is slated for the former Southern Coastal Highway on the island, also known as the “Island of the Swallows.”

In 2011, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) sanctioned the company for carrying out work related to this same project without the required permits. According to the Environmental Impact Statement, Profepa issued a verification order and report documenting “various acts and omissions likely constituting violations of environmental regulations.”

As a result, the developer paid a fine of 45,000 pesos, halted the work, and was required to obtain environmental impact authorization if it resumed construction. The company complied with the sanctions but later abandoned the project. It has now revived it under the new name.

The development will impact 5.286 hectares of jungle land, plus an additional 0.657-hectare plot. The Environmental Impact Statement notes, “The project is designed under an environmental protection and conservation policy, with a concept of utilizing the space permitted by Cozumel’s Local Ecological Zoning Program, as only 34.63% of the total property surface will be used.”

This project is among more than 500 developments underway, primarily in northern Quintana Roo, mostly condominium-type due to high demand for vacation rental spaces in the Mexican Caribbean.

In late 2023, Miguel Ángel Lemus Mateos, regional leader of the Quintana Roo Association of Real Estate Professionals, announced that hundreds of real estate developments would launch in 2024, mainly in northern Quintana Roo, ensuring significant construction and sales activity. He explained in October 2023, “In 10 months we would practically sell what is being built, due to the pace of placement, which is positive, as developments even in pre-sale place at least three units, ranging from two million to 10 million pesos.”