Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Municipal authorities in Playa del Carmen have clarified that the city government has not received any construction permit applications for a controversial real estate project proposed for the site of the Mamitas Beach Club, reiterating that beaches in the municipality remain public and cannot be privatized.
The controversy emerged after information circulated about a project that would involve constructing towers up to seven stories high on that coastal point, raising concerns among residents and beachgoers about potential urban impact and possible restrictions on beach access.
Hernán González de los Santos, Playa del Carmen’s Secretary of Territorial Planning, explained that the municipal government currently has no formal paperwork related to that development.
“Let’s make this very clear: it’s impossible to privatize a beach, no ocean access will be closed,” the official stated regarding the circulating reports about the project.
González detailed that the property where Mamitas Beach Club is located is a private lot that, due to its oceanfront location, falls under federal authority regulation.
The city government reiterated that Playa del Carmen’s beaches are public and cannot be privatized. According to the official, the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) is the agency responsible for analyzing any Environmental Impact Statement (MIA), as well as guidelines and activities that might be authorized on that land.
He indicated that the federal agency would determine whether the project meets environmental and regulatory requirements, and would subsequently notify the corresponding authorities.
“As of today, we have nothing on our end—it’s completely in Semarnat’s hands,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Mayor Estefanía Mercado noted that the city government also hasn’t received construction permit applications or other necessary paperwork to begin such a project.
The mayor explained that although some developers have circulated investment or marketing proposals for the project, this doesn’t mean authorization exists to execute it.
“I want to make it clear that this city government hasn’t received any applications or construction permits, nor any of the paperwork that accompanies a project of that size,” she stated.
The circulated real estate project still lacks municipal government processing. Mercado added that each developer assumes their own risks when announcing real estate projects before obtaining corresponding authorizations, which could even represent a risk for potential buyers.
“Each developer takes the risks of announcing the project without having the permits, which I find extremely dangerous, especially for clients,” she commented.
The mayor also emphasized that in recent years, Semarnat has strengthened evaluation criteria for coastal zone projects, resulting in stricter and more prolonged reviews of environmental files.
“It has never been so meticulous, so strict, truly taking its time to analyze a project as in this period,” she affirmed.
In light of this, she noted that any oceanfront development initiative must first pass through federal authority analysis before it can begin an administrative process at the municipal level.
Finally, Mercado reiterated that all municipal beaches remain publicly accessible and that the local government will maintain that condition.
“Absolutely all of Playa del Carmen’s beaches are public—it’s impossible to privatize them. We’re the municipality with the most public beaches in all of Quintana Roo, and that’s how we’ll remain,” she declared.
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