Developers Unveil Yucatan Marina Club, State’s First Nautical City

Progreso, Yucatan — Developers have unveiled plans for Yucatan Marina Club, a 55-hectare mixed-use project in Progreso that will become the state’s first nautical community. The development, backed by Grupo R4 and Mazza Capital, represents an investment of 8 billion pesos (approximately $400 million).

The project will include a marina, residential lots, commercial spaces, and public areas. During construction, it is expected to generate 2,000 jobs, with 4,000 permanent positions once operational, according to Fernando Martinez Zurita, director of Mazza Capital and Yucatan Marina Club.

“We’re talking about sailors, captains, people working in shops — it will significantly boost the economy and become a major source of employment,” Martinez Zurita said in an interview.

The primary business model is property sales. Buyers will acquire residential lots with direct nautical access. The only rental component will be a nautical hotel within the development. Plans include 209 residential lots with water access.

The site is currently an underutilized industrial area that has become an illegal dumping ground. “It’s very polluted, the streets are deteriorated, and there’s no real use,” Martinez Zurita said. “The goal is to promote fishing, tourism, and the economy.”

Yucatan Marina Club has already obtained environmental approval from the federal Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat). “The project is being developed on highly impacted land and respects the mangrove ecosystem,” he added.

Amenities will include a clubhouse with pools and terraces, four restaurants, a shopping center, a captain’s bar, and an events hall. Public components include a central park, a lighthouse museum dedicated to the history of the Yucalpeten port, and a pedestrian boardwalk.

Sustainability challenges

Luis Chacon Ramos, regional director of Poralu Marine, a French firm with global experience in marina construction, highlighted the challenge of balancing economic growth with environmental protection. “Interesting projects often develop in environmentally sensitive areas that must be respected, so finding a balance is very difficult,” he said. “Some projects will never be environmentally viable because the sites are too important ecologically.”

Poralu Marine, which has built over 120,000 berths worldwide and completed more than 20,000 projects over 40 years, will provide technical support for the marina’s design, construction, and operation.