Anyone interested in living in San Miguel now and in the future should read this and pass it on to others like you.
This report was written by a group of citizens who had access to the files in City Hall regarding the new development called Lomas de Atotonilco. It is 6 pages long because it is at one time: 1) a report on this alarming situation; 2) a suggested framework to establish a Feasible and Sustainable Urban Plan for San Miguel and 3) it is an invitation to all San Miguel residents to participate in demanding in their own way that City Hall respond to this urgent situation.
This article illustrates what is about start happening in San Miguel: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Homes-lives-with-little-hope-2177310.php
Thank you.
An Open Letter to the Residentsof San Miguel
We, the group ‘Saving San Miguel’, have convened with the purpose of protesting Banterra’s massive housing project. ‘Lomas de Atotonilco’ threatens the quality of life for all of us living in San Miguel and the communities immediately surrounding it.
Our group took advantage of transparency laws in Mexico to gain limited access to the project files submitted by Banterra. We also hired several experts to do an analysis of the information. The summary of their findings can be found at: savingsanmiguel.blogspot.com . It turns out that the whole scheme is actually illegal, but for some reason the city government has chosen to ignore current legislation when they authorize these projects.
The reality of groups and projects such as these is that they represent a concept that can only be described as institutionalized corruption. They find land that has been set aside for very low-density development in areas considered as ecological preserves (like Atotonilco.) Then, by using all kind of "arguments", convince city councils to change the allowed use of land to high-density developments. Once this is achieved, they resell the land with an obscene profit margin. For this scheme to work, they have to prey on land that can be considered part of the natural patrimony, or heritage, of cities throughout Mexico. The resulting high-density housing projects, which are located far away from jobs, usually are abandoned and become nightmares for the cities.
The promise Banterra has made to San Miguel- cheap, sustainable housing for the poor- is impossible for them to fulfill, since they do not actually develop the site. They resell the land to the real developers, who normally follow one of two paths:
1. Since local people do not qualify for mortgages (as is the case in San Miguel), they make developments for rich or upper middle class families from Mexico City, Queretaro, etc., offering it to them as a ‘vacation home’, or:
2. They get grants from the Federal Government for low-income housing. Since the houses are already paid for, nobody really cares about selling them to legitimate buyers, or for the upkeep of the area, creating a new urban ghetto.
Both options are terrible for San Miguel. In one scenario, we have to take the influx of thousands of families and cars. Another Land Bank, who got their permit to change the use of land from agricultural to high-density earlier this year (before the citizens found out), is already in partnership with a developer selling 4,000 housing units as second homes in a satellite city named Zirandaro, on the road to Queretaro. New roads and infrastructure will soon have to be built in order to deal with the extra flow of about 3,000 cars to the center on weekends, plus water for about 18,000 people (and yet another new golf course in a place that does not have an abundance of water…)
The second case would concentrate 100% of the low income housing needs of the whole county in ‘Lomas de Atotonilco’. The estimated size of the monster city would increase the population of Rancho Viejo (1 mile from Atotonilco) from about 800 to about 44,000. No schemes to create jobs for these people are included in the plan. It is likely that most of the houses will be abandoned and taken by squatters coming from all over Mexico.
Given the wealth of information available, the opportunity exists for this area of Mexico to lead the way in the development and preservation of areas with such rich cultural and historical heritages, and such unique and critical habitats. This massive development-that is on the verge of approval- should serve as a wake-up call to residents of every strata of San Miguel society.
Now is the time to make your voice heard, to say no to this misdirected project, and thoughtfully redirect the dialogue to one that is more all- encompassing of what it is that the people of San Miguel truly need, and what the natural resources of the area can truly support.
We invite all residents from the foreign community in San Miguel to participate in this discussion. We would like to underline that today foreigners have the full legal right as taxpayers and residents of this community to participate in discussions such as these.
The future belongs to all of us.
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