Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Mexican environmental authorities have rejected the Residence Paradise development project for a second time, citing risks to protected mangroves and a critical sea turtle nesting area.
The project, proposed by the company Naj Desarrollos, sought to build on a plot known as Rancho el Gallero de Veracruz, located north of Playa del Carmen next to the public access to Paraíso Beach and adjacent to the Vidanta resort complex.
In a resolution published by the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), officials determined that the developer again failed to meet the conditions required to proceed with construction in the highly sensitive area.
“As a result of the analysis and evaluation of the Environmental Impact Statement, the additional information, and based on the technical and legal reasoning set forth in a well-founded and motivated manner … authorization in environmental matters is not feasible, since the project does not comply with the criteria,” reads the resolution, numbered SGA/0353/2026.
The developer had sought a land-use change for the project, which involved an investment of more than 60 million pesos (approximately $3 million). Naj Desarrollos was founded in Playa del Carmen in 2020.
In September 2024, the previous municipal government of Solidaridad granted a zoning permit to the owner to begin urbanization of the site. Despite the repeated permit denials, large hotels and condominiums continue to rise in the surrounding area.
