The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources approved the environmental license for the development of the tourism project Brigantine Pointin the province Puerto Platawhich will allow construction work on its various components to begin next August.
Andres Marranziniexecutive director of the Punta Bergantín tourism project, explained that the environmental authorization covers an area of 9.6 million square meters and excludes the use of infrastructure construction in the areas of wetlands, mangroves, dunes, swamps, ravines, and any other area of environmental vulnerability within the scope of the project development.
The Trust for the Economic and Social Development of the Punta Bergantín Area (Fideicomiso Punta Bergantín), is an initiative of the Dominican Government that manages the Reserve Bank and the Ministry of Tourismand its objective is to “put Puerto Plata back on the world’s tourist map”, betting on the “power of its natural beauty” and the human quality of its people.
The license approves the construction of 9 hotels, with apartment buildings, villas, mixed-use town houses, and commercial use; an Innovation Center; film studios, administrative offices, a hospital area, a Golf Club, a Beach Club, and a Tennis Club, a club for the apartment area, a horse riding club, and a theme park.
Today the project has agreements with promoters for the development of 3 hotels to date; a Hyatt Ziva and Zilarawith 800 rooms, plus a Meliá Hotel with the joint investment of Meliá Hotels and Puntacana Group for 400 rooms in the project. As well as another Hotel in the chain Karismawhich will have 300 rooms.
The initiative, the Punta Bergantín Trust specifies, has a comprehensive development approach and aims to house at least 4,500 Hotel rooms, 2,000 tourist and mixed-use residential units, public access beach clubs and the creation of a unique thematic village in the region, in addition to a film studio and an innovation center.
The Ministry of the Environment also orders the establishment of hydrological zoning, prioritizing wetland areas, water production, and biodiversity conservation to guarantee a mandatory 30-meter protection strip on both sides of existing river currents, and on the banks of lakes, lagoons, and reservoirs.
In addition, it will specifically respect a 30-meter strip on both sides of the rivers, ravines and creeks in Muñoz, Jacuba and Limonal, Chicigua, Polanco and Atollador, which cross and border the development area of the project. It will also respect the 30-meter strip around the Laguna Bergantín.
The developer will comply with best practices in environmental land use planning, establish hydrological zoning, prioritizing wetland areas, water production, and biodiversity conservation, among others.
The initiative, the project states, “pays tribute to Puerto Plata as the country’s first tourist destination, and recognizes this region’s contribution as a leader and pioneer in placing the Dominican Republic as one of the first tourist centers in Latin America and the world.”
