Bacalar, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) has denied the environmental impact statement for the proposed Hacienda San Agustín hotel on Bacalar’s Coastal Boulevard, halting the development.
The tourism complex was planned for lots 9 and 11 of Region 10, with direct views of Bacalar Lagoon, one of southern Quintana Roo’s main tourist attractions.
According to the project plans, the hotel was to be a two-story Mexican colonial-style complex with an estimated lifespan of about 50 years. Before opening, the developer anticipated a construction and demolition phase lasting roughly 23 months.
Project included environmental measures
The submission stated the property lay within Environmental Management Unit A-1, where the land use is compatible with intensive hotel tourism, in line with applicable ecological planning and urban development regulations. The developer also maintained that the site was outside federal and state natural protected areas.
Proposed measures included sanitation systems using septic tanks connected to the public network, use of the municipal drinking water supply, and waste disposal through the local collection system.
No environmental authorization
Despite the mitigation measures outlined in the environmental impact statement, the federal authority decided not to approve the project, meaning the development cannot proceed under the submitted plan.
The decision leaves the proposed hotel complex on Bacalar’s Coastal Boulevard without environmental authorization. The area continues to see growing tourist activity around its emblematic lagoon.
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