SANTO DOMINGO- After outlining the litany of difficulties inherited from the previous government at the Ciudad Juan Bosch housing complex, the Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos Echavarría, assured yesterday that they are working to transform the project, located in Santo Domingo East, into a model housing development.
He explained that many projects were stalled due to legal issues left by the previous administration, including debts and other situations that limited their progress.
The official addressed the issue during his participation in the Corripio Communications Group's Weekly Luncheon, where he reported that in two weeks they will visit the project to meet with the neighborhood associations and explain the development schedule.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Investment Projects, Camel Curi, explained that they found half of the Juan Bosch City without a property title.
“We had to go to the original land titles, do the boundary surveys, take them to the National Congress for approval, and then we proceeded to segment them and deliver the titles, including the large commercial lots for supermarkets, among others,” he explained.
Because the work did not start on schedule, they had a financial deficit, he added.
“We found Ciudad Juan Bosch with no money and today we have money, which will be reinvested in all the pending works.
“The construction companies owed us about 800 million pesos for projects under development, and we managed to collect 900 million and some change with interest.”.
He explained that all the infrastructure work will be completed by the middle of next year.
He said that at the beginning of the current administration, they found around 6,000 homes built, and today there are already more than 9,000.
They project having an average of 15,000 homes ready by the end of next year.
To stabilize the project's finances, they have begun repaying a debt of over 2.8 billion pesos to Banco de Reservas for a line of credit used to finance the construction of the infrastructure. They estimate the debt will be fully paid off by August 2024.
Ciudad Juan Bosch Ciudad Juan Bosch is a model of sustainable, functional and inclusive development where residential and productive activities are integrated with all the typical activities of an urban center.
Various works
Joel Santos Echavarría said that several sports projects were put out to tender, including a multi-sports complex, a baseball field, a softball field and a soccer field.
They are also focused on finishing the schools that were stalled. Meanwhile, temporary centers have been prepared to meet the demand for education in the area.
“In short, there are a number of things we are doing to strengthen the project,” added Santos Echavarría.
According to what was explained, the marginal avenue of the Mella highway that connects to the Juan Bosch City has already begun, while the water and sanitation works are in their final phase.
Source: Hoy Newspaper
