La Plancha group wants assurances on master plan

A rendering of Parque la Plancha, as envisioned by park planners.

Mérida, Yucatán — The state has turned its back on the master plan to create a new Central Park in the Centro, members of the Great Park La Plancha civil association said in a press conference Thursday.

They want to know on the record that the state hasn’t written off part of the 60-acre parcel that various groups and neighbors have envisioned as a new green space, according to local news reports.

The master plan, prepared in 2016 by academics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in collaboration with the state university UADY, addresses the construction of a park, in which 80 percent is wooded area. The project delimits areas for art, culture and sports.

But the volunteers and activists now suggest that the state has scaled back the project to under 10 acres — the space the state won by means of an amparo with the railway line Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab.

Arturo Romero, a spokesperson, said the association has had access to information regarding the possibility of the land being sold under the pretext of funding the rest of the park project, according to Desde el Balcón.

He added that “they have heard some stories that have hired advisors who have worked elsewhere to divide, sell plots for real estate developments, hoteliers and shopping centers.”

The ecological and social benefits of investing in the construction of a park that encompasses all the land of the Plancha would be incalculable, said Romero. But so far, no budget has been announced to make the park a reality.

“La Plancha is the last parcel of land in the Historic Center large enough for a central metropolitan park,” said Romero.

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