5 Story Behemoth in Playa del Carmen?

Has Playa del Carmen's Building Codes Changed? 

Residents of Porto Playa up in Arms.  Ocean Views Lost replaced by Concrete  

Has the height rules restrictions changed for developers in Playa del Carmen? It has always been understood from the street that Playa del Carmen was different than Cancun in that it would remain a quaint village with buildings mandated no higher than 3 stories.

So, when Riviera Maya Real Estate News received notice from many residents at Porto Playa on 1st and 16th Street about a project called Magia being built across the street that's alledgedly 5 stories high, well, we decided to take a look at what's going on.

Apparently, when Porto Playa was built last year it's condo's were sold to the buyers with verbal assurances that the lot across the street would not be over 3 stories and thus the penthouses on the 3rd floor with their roof top palapas would continue to have a view of the ocean a few blocks away.

Upon entering Porto Playa we took a walk up one of the condos to see for ourselves and sure enough, the view was blocked in a very significant way.  More, the infamous "first condo in Playa to sell for a $ 1,000,000 completely lost its view 100%, gone!

To be polite the residents of Porto Playa are furious as an ocean view is critical to maintaining and increasing value over time.

According to Porto Playa resident Ed Vidgen "A monster is devouring Playa! Playa has always prided itself by being a laid back, funky town built on a human scale whose buildings never exceeded 3 story in height, in fact the opposite of Cancun's corporate, tourist processing, mega-hotel image" says Ed Vidgen. "This image has steadfastly attracted well-heeled international clientele that added to the city's urbane, sophisticated appeal. Unfortunately, this image is under sustained attack today as evident by a colossal development at the NE corner of 1st Ave and 16th Street North.  Approached from the oceanfront, it presents a massive, Stalinist 6 story edifice, entirely out of character with vicinity and moreover, in contravention of zoning bylaws that impose a 3 storey, 14 meter height limit." says a frustrated Ed Vidgen.

 "Apart from ruining this portion of the city, it establishes new rules of the game for aggressive developers, who will have an open field competing to match and exceed this height limit.  Somehow, this monstrosity was approved under the radar of the unsuspecting public. Who in the city gave it his approval? Will this "civil servant" strike again to deliver a mortal blow to Playa?  If so, it is good bye Playa, hello Cancun, Acapulco or Atlantic City for that matter, can casinos be far behind?"

In lieu of Mr. Vingren comments, Riviera Maya Real Estate News contacted the City of Playa del Carmen to get their comment on this what appears to be a new shift in building codes.

We spoke to Rosi at the Office of Urban Development (Direccion de Desarroyo Hurbano) at the Palacio Municipal via at +52(984) 877-3056 ext 2160.   Rosi confirmed that the height maximum was, in effect, 3 stories at 14 meters high and said that she was unaware of any violation on 1st Street and 16th.

In speaking with other real estate professionals in Playa del Carmen, they say that the Magia Project dug down in the ground to meet the high limits and that they probably reduced the height for each floor to meet the restrictions.

More, others in the business commented to us off the record that buyers should exercise caveat emptor (buyer beware) and not believe everything sellers say about the merits of a project citing a fact that if a buyer bought a project 2 blocks from the beach with an empty lot directly in front of them they should NOT expect to have a ocean view considering our topography is flat.  That's the buyers fault for not using common sense they say. 

Off the record, they continued to say that if a buyer in Playa del Carmen wants a ocean view, they need to buy on the beach and not 2 blocks up from a downtown street.  In this case, they strongly feel that the developer of Porto Playa may have been too aggressive in its sales presentation implying to prospects and buyers that an ocean view was guaranteed. 

To get exact clarity, Riviera Maya Real Estate News encourages all developers to contact the Office of Urban Development and Planning to get the exact rules and regulations on what can and cannot be built in Playa del Carmen.  

So who's right and who's wrong?  Is this just an issue of angry residents complaining about a legitimate loss of their view or is there something awry here?  What are the consequences for buyers, sellers, developers and Playa del Carmen for now and the future? 

We strongly encourage all readers of this article to post their comments into our Forum.  Your comments are mission critical in improving our community and opening up the dialogue.  We welcome ALL points of view. So give it a try!

THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN FROM PORTO PLAYA