Santa Cruz PGO Update Receives Environmental Approval

The Santa Cruz City Council has received a positive report from its municipal Environmental Assessment commission. This report is for a small update, called "minor modification number 1," to the city's main urban planning document (PGO). This PGO is currently in use because a newer plan, approved in 2013, was overturned by the courts in 2020. The current PGO is based on older rules from 1992 and a 2005 decree.

After the environmental report for the 2005 urban plan (PGOU-05) was published yesterday in the Official Gazette of the Province, Urban Planning Councilor Zaida González stated that this is the first step towards approving the changes. The environmental agency has confirmed that the proposed updates will not harm the environment.

The councilor explained that there are many changes planned for the current PGO. These changes will mainly address issues found during the plan's use, such as problems with applying and interpreting its rules. This includes updating the plan to match current urban and other laws, for example, regarding commercial areas. It also involves adding rules for things not covered in the 2005 plan, especially since the 2013 plan was cancelled.

González also mentioned that the plan for the Sports Palace and its surrounding area, which was provisionally approved in 2022, will be officially included. Additionally, some plots of land that are already municipal or island sports facilities but were incorrectly labeled as "sports or urban parks" will be reclassified correctly.

The updates will also fix inconsistencies in certain areas regarding urban land categories (whether land is considered "consolidated" or "unconsolidated" urban land). These discrepancies exist between the land classification maps and the planning documents. Furthermore, the changes will officially recognize plots that were previously undeveloped but have since been managed and urbanized as "consolidated urban land."

Other changes include setting rules for parking spaces in new buildings or for restructured existing ones. It will also organize public parking lots and loading/unloading zones on plots that were previously not clearly defined in the plan.

With this approval, the environmental review for the PGO's minor update is complete. Since it's been confirmed that the proposed urban changes will not significantly affect the environment, the process can move forward. The next step is initial approval, followed by a period for public information and consultation, scheduled for the end of February 2026. After reviewing all feedback and reports, the plan will receive its final approval.