A Marina for Puerto Viejo
The small rasta town on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast is about to change forever. US and Costa Rican investors recently announced their plans to build a $40 million 389-slip marina. This comes weeks after the announcement of new ports in Limon and Moin, both on the Caribbean coast.
The marina will include a shopping center, arts and craft vendors, yacht maintenance and repair areas, offices, storage areas, and two breakwaters. The plans have been submitted to the Inter-Institutional Commission for Marinas and Tourists Docks (CIMAT) and are currently being studied.
The marina will provide an estimated 2000 indirect and direct jobs to the area.
Presently there are 22 marina plans submitted to the government and it is a race to see which will be approved first. There is only one legally operating marina in Costa Rica which is Los Suenos, just south of Jaco, on the Pacific side.
A worry for many people is how this will change the quaint coastal town.
| Written by alanp |
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Filed under: Costa Rica News on October 12th, 2007
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Maria,
This is an interesting article! Any idea if the marina developer has any further plans for development?
Best,
As far as rumours and newspaper articles say they are planning to build this thing right at Playa Negra. Everything that makes this town special will be lost. And moreover, locals won’t be able to set up their own homes any longer and will be driven away. With a marina like that one land prices will go up and up and up out of the reach of any local resident. This place is doomed to become a second little Playa del Carmen….
Big loss for everybody who has been there and knows how wonderful the area is. And it won’t help ANY of the people from Puerto Viejo. Who is gonna benefit are others, as always.
We can´t let this happened!
Have you seen Guanacaste? we can not let PV become a second Guanacaste.
I wrote about this on my blog months ago, I´m decided to fight against it.
“The marina will provide an estimated 2000 indirect and direct jobs to the area” Whant kind of jobs?? as usual we´re gonna be waitresses and mades.
OMG i´m so sad about this..
That locals will be “driven away” is simply untrue and as a matter of fact most locals own property that will double several times over and this will be a much needed economic boost. It is also incorrect to believe that the only jobs that will be created are waitresses and maids. First of all, I would like to point out that those are very respectable jobs and “Jenny” ought to apologize for her arrogance to the thousands of maids and waitresses that everyday proudly head to work to perform their duties in order to put food on the table and provide for their families. The truth is that the marina will need an array of personel to operate ranging from carpenters to captains, fishing charter operators to administrative staff and this is not to mention all the benefits for the current businesses in town. Why deprive tourism and visitors that choose to explore our wonders of nature by boat the opportunity to do so while contributing to the local economy. Really what is the difference between the carbon footprint created by visitors arriving by car or plane to those arriving by boats?
Hello, can anyone tell me who to contact about the Marina in Puerto Viejo. Thank you!!
Drugs already run in Puerto Viejo so free that you get it at any local grocery store. Maybe the marina will clean up and drive away these “locals” and bring some turist with money. Not drifters looking for a hide out.
Juan is absolutely right and it makes me laugh to hear otherwise. Actually getting the authorities (police, immigration, coast guard etc) will work as a deterrent and I foresee a decrease not only in drugs but also crime that has been on the rise recently. I am sick of urban tales being spun of what will happen when the rich evil boaters arrive with their “yachts” - relax they are just like the rest of us and they are not “accustomed to a life style of prostitution” and other malais but enjoy our exploring our beautiful coasts with their sailboats or sports fishing vessels. I think we all cause damage and leave carbon footprints but the problem today is the cheap tourism does so without leaving any cash behind to fix the problem. I welcome the arrival of marina Ecologica New World to Puerto Viejo and the departure of the whining leftists that want to stop any and all progress and development being offered this town. Check out Cuba, Venezuela or North Korea as your next stop - adios
[...] truly a step into a different kind of Costa Rica. However, for the last several months, plans for a new marina in Puerto Viejo have been underway, a move that has some welcoming development and others worried about the [...]
this marina will destroy the beautiful coastlines, and once again kill the reefs that are just beginning to show signs of life once again. Also, the marina will directly affect the surf patterns, and the world famous Salsa Brava will no longer be. PV is a top destination for surfers from all over the world, and there has even been consideration to bring pro competitions to the area. That sort of recognition will bring loads of cash to the area without destroying the area and turning it into another Miami. People visit Puerto Viejo for what it is now. If you want high rises, and high prices, go spend your vacation in Jaco. Leave PV alone!!