Will there still be room for me?

Copied from the Mazatlan Messenger

Isla Amaitlán Resort on Stone Island Breaks Ground

Filed under Homeno comments

Artist's concept of la Isla Amaitlán, advertised in English as "Mazatlán's Garden City."

Employees at the 125 hectare tourist resort on Isla de la Pierda (Stone Island), a joint venture of Korian real estate company based in Durango and the 5,000 ejidatarios inhabiting the Island, began clearing land for the first phase of the project earlier this week.

Surrounded by coconut palm plantations, grading machines began clearing the first two hectares in preparation for the construction of a vacation show home, a botanical garden and an artificial laguna. Construction of the first of 66,000 tourist accommodation units is expected to begin in January, 2012 generating employment for over 1,000 workers.

When completed, the resort will offer visitors 13 kilometers of virgin beach and a natural marina of 9 kilometers.

Negotiations between the real estate investment company and ejidatarios began in May, 2008 and after obtaining environmental and land permits, the project is now ready to begin in earnest.

Master Plan creator, Brazilian architect and urban planner Jaime Lerner, envisions an environmentally sustainable resort which will include:

• 100% recycled garbage
• mixed energy sources: solar, natural gas and conventional
• 100% recycled residual waters through suction drainage
• underground cables
• elevated construction to allow for absorption of rain water, avoidance of floods
• 70% green area
• 95% of construction no taller than surrounding palm trees (18 meters)

Total investment for the Isla Amaitlán resort is pegged at $120 million dollars, the initial phase of which will cost $2 million dollars.

(from Noroeste and files)

Oh my, it's actually happening. There was been talk about this project for a few years now along with many stories, many predictions, some of the locals looking forward to this and some not. I have always been hoping that it would not happen. I don't much like change, and I have a hard time adjusting to  "new things" (still don't like my new coffee maker that I have had for a year) Makes me wonder if there will still be room for me here or will I have to move on? Could I leave all my wonderful friends that I have made over the years, they don't have the option to leave like I do, they have to stay and learn to live with this. Maybe if they build this slowly enough I might not notice and get used to it (like how my electric bill got slowly quadrupled over the last 10 years) If I did leave where would I go? The Sierra Madres have always interested me, could I head to the mountains and leave the ocean behind? Or could I find another Mexican Island somewhere? Island life is so quirky and unigue,  and it suits me...I think. I guess I'll just head over there and see for myself.