Tamarindo and Langosta Try To Understand Their Deficiencies

Recently, Tamarindo has been enlivened! Investors and residents gathered for many different purposes, such as the creation of an emergency plan to protect Tamarindo from a natural disaster, the road construction to Langosta, the rescinding of the Blue Flag, and the Regulating Plan presentations (one for the communities and the other for coastal matters). In regards to the Regulating Plan for the communities, despite being completely finished with the support of professional studies, and submitted to the competent authorities, we were informed about the need to adjust to a new protocol. As a consequence, approval for the Regulating Plan for the communities has been delayed.

During the last meeting, a workshop was conducted for the attending groups to identify what should be expressed in a document that will help Tamarindo develop on a sustainable basis. About 30 people attended the event and the data was collected in the Community Center in Villarreal. All development associations were invited. Their representatives agreed to invite the neighboring communities in order to identify their individual needs and possible solutions. However, not even the members of the board attended! Officials from private companies and investors took on the responsibility that should have been assumed by the residents of Santa Rosa, Hernández, El Llanito, San Jose de Pinilla, etc. Among the suggestions considered to be evaluated and studied for feasibility were; ordering of urban transport, construction of bus stops, proposal to set specific days of delivery for delivery trucks, improved roads that may include a space for pedestrians and cyclists, distinction of areas dedicated to tourism, manufacturing, the construction of a bus station in Villarreal, a boulevard from Villarreal to Tamarindo, regulation of population density to protect nature and aquifers, protection of areas where water sources may be located, construction of a waste water treatment plan, a crafts market, the use of municipal lots, the regulation and standardization of infrastructure, and development programs to bring economic, cultural, and educational development to town.

A week later, another meeting was held at Restaurant Baulas with the officials of EPYPSA, the company in charge of the study and creation of the final version of the Coastal Regulating Plan. Some ideas for sustainable development were discussed. The objective is for the coasts to become well-planned, clean spaces with specific requirements for areas in which their main activity is tourism. Some interesting facts were revealed during the meeting. For example, the Coastal Regulating Plan does not apply to protected areas such as Las Baulas National Park, to land considered state patrimony, nor to areas with a regulatory plan in effect (i.e., the one that ICT has in Junquillal and Avellanas). The project for the demarcation line is still under process. The private properties have already been identified, and it has been reported that there are only few homes built in the maritime zone and that they will remain municipal property with their use being regulated. There is a concern about how to determine the maritime zone, because the methodology used by the National Geographic Institute does not agree with the current law. Even the Treasury Inspector’s Office recommends changing it because it does not portray true ocean dynamics (i.e., since November, there is a very steep slope towards the ocean, and where there was once sand is now only rocks – both of which are unusual). Landmarks are not located correctly due to these changes. EPYPSA officials reported that they are making a national effort to measure the dynamics of the coast with high-quality technology… meter by meter. This information will be invaluable to both developers and investors. A Real Estate Registry is currently being founded in Costa Rica so that title deeds will correspond to the plans, assuring investors that the property has not been sold before.

It is well known that what has gone wrong over many years, cannot be fixed in a few. In addition, a law has been submitted for revision to the National Geographic Institute, the body within the National Registry responsible for building the maps, nautical charts, studies of environmental impact, visas for cadastral plans, and other functions. All assets of the state will be registered and inscribed for anyone to negotiate. The material collected through these diagnostic workshops will be presented in October to municipal authorities, who will determine which suggestions are feasible and then allocate the budget necessary to develop them. The canton of Santa Cruz is going through the same scrutiny. The goal is to complete the diagnosis and have it approved by the end of next year. Until then, we will not know which suggestions were accepted, how many communities will have financial support, and at what pace Tamarindo, Langosta, or surrounding communities will develop. Therefore, it is difficult to envision how Tamarindo, Langosta, or surrounding communities will be affected in the near future. Most meeting attendees claim that the Municipality should reinvest 7% of municipal taxes in the works of the communities, – as required by the Comptroller General of the Republic. Many believe that if a board of residents administered these funds, the coastal zone would be in far better conditions.