City facelift = much pain more gain
By Kent Davis
Remember when former president Martinelli finished all those underpasses five years ago and traffic took a breather for about two months before Metro Line 1 construction started?
And when Metro Line 1 finished, Mayor Jose Isobel Blandon decided to start burying all of the cable lines in Obarrio? And now that the municipality seems to be finishing up their sidewalk works on Via Espana, construction on new roads and sidewalks have started all along Via Argentina and Calle Uruguay.
The million-dollar question is how will this city be better off when the construction works finish? How will traffic and the volume of cars on the road be improved by Metro Lines 2 and 3? And finally, will a collective $50 million-dollar facelift impact Panama City’s appeal to expats, locals and tourists?
My answer: How can it not make a difference?
Disclaimer: I am a real estate agent, so obviously I have a horse in the race. If you don’t know me, you’d assume I was like most other real estate agents in this world who are “selling the dream.” And in a way, you are right. A part of my job is to explain to people who are not familiar with Panama what exactly is going on here and what that could mean in terms of property values and “the real estate market” tomorrow.
The thing is, we’re not talking about a few new sidewalks and trash cans (which, by the way, have been desperately needed). We’re talking about a transformation and….hold your breath here, people….if Mayor Blandon is elected for a second term, double down on any real estate bets you have in the city because this man has vision, and this city could become truly world class.
Mayor Blandon has pushed through underground parking projects, championed the building of athletic facilities in the inner city, stepped up parking enforcement, and spearheaded forward-thinking initiatives like closing off three lanes of traffic for Sunday bikers and an expansion of some of the city’s major parks.
When the legislature passed their de-centralization laws a few years back, this made hundreds of millions of dollars available to the country’s mayors and Blandon has stepped up to the plate and started spending those funds on a full urban renewal of downtown Panama City.
And he has nearly two years left in office.
Mayor Blandon has put a stop to (or at least hopped into the fight against) unscrupulous builders who blatantly disregard environmental impact regulations and construction-site governance. He’s championed the cause of a complete overhaul of Summit national park and a renovation of the Amador Causeway. He’s pushing through zoning that is going to limit the density of the new high rises in areas like San Francisco, where underground and road infrastructure are at their limits.
Simply put, the guy is doing good things for the city.
I know, I know…we’re still a long way from perfect.
Imagine what Panama City COULD POTENTIALLY look like during the Pope’s visit in January 2019, when hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the country for World Youth Day and the eyes of the world are on Panama. We’ll have tree-lined promenades, a network of sidewalks (consistent in materials and safe to transit) and perhaps even a new culture of bike-riding commuters, especially if the Cinta Costera does in fact get extended towards Costa del Este.
This city that has been under construction for nearly 10 years will finally able to take a breather and reap the benefits. And I for one believe that quality of life improvements have a direct impact on property values. Time will tell!
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