Many voiced opposition to how little time was given for community members to review the proposed regulatory plan for the Canton of Nicoya and submit observations, just 10 working days after the plan was presented on Saturday, February 25th, and the municipal council on Monday, March 26th agreed to allow those who submitted comments during those ten days to have an additional 45 working days to continue reviewing the plan, beginning April 9th. 

The decision came as a result of a meeting hosted at the municipality on Friday, March 23rd to discuss the feedback received by the regulatory plan commission. At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Marco Jimenez stressed that the time to submit observations and appeals had passed and the meeting was only for informative purposes and to discuss observations or questions submitted during those 10 days.

Another Step in Relocating Those Who Live In Garza’s Maritime Zone

By Arianna McKinney

The presentation of the proposed regulatory plan identifies which properties within the maritime land zone (ZMT- Zona Marítima Terrestre) are inscribed as private property, which, for the municipality’s ZMT department, is an important step in the process of creating the coastal regulatory plan, organizing the maritime zone and relocating people who are inhabiting it.

Juan Carlos Oviedo Quesada, coordinator of the regulatory plan commission, estimated that about 2% of Samara Beach and 6% of Buena Vista and Garza’s beaches are inscribed as private property.  The ZMT department has now conducted a census to identify the people in Garza that must be relocated and are in the process of negotiating with them; however Oviedo explained that they can’t move them until the plan is approved. 

One person living in Garza’s maritime zone, who did not want to be named, said she was told that the municipality wants to give them lots in concession. She is content with the idea of moving since there are times when it is dangerous living in the beach, for example when the tide rises during a storm; however she recognized that others are not happy about the prospect of leaving their homes.

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