According to the latest census, it is estimated that more than 15,000 families live in this area, representing 20% of the total population of Cabo San Lucas. It is also an area with extensive commercial development.
During a meeting of “Grupo los Madrugadores de Los Cabos” which is a group of friends (businesspeople commonly) who gather regularly in a casual environment to discuss important issues affecting society.
They engage in structured discussions to identify the root causes of these issues and objectively brainstorm potential solutions. And they have a strong influence on the local government.
This week, some of the most serious problems on the table were the problems that are facing El Tezal community, which were discussed, including the lack of public services.
The rapid development of condominiums and housing has resulted in many buildings lacking drainage.
It was mentioned that each resident is responsible for the treatment of their wastewater, especially at the level of private residences. Many condominiums have their own treatment plants, for which the responsibility falls on the residents themselves. This operation is very costly due to the constant use of electricity, which is also scarce in this area.
The residents of the area are working to ensure that the treated water is used for irrigation of the green areas of the condominium and the surrounding area. However, one of their requests to the authorities is to have a wastewater treatment plant operated by the municipality.
They believe that, as is already done with other plants, the water produced by this process can be sold to developments and used within the city itself for other purposes.
It is worth mentioning that not so many years ago, the entire Tezal belonged to the Ejido of Cabo San Lucas, and sections of land were disincorporated, so the large polygons in the area began to be sold by the ejido groups to the highest bidder. Some of the Ejidatarios just decided to create developments themselves by subdividing into pieces of land, some of them starting at 5381.9ft² rustic land, and from there on, especially when the domestic to commercial land use permitoccurred.
In summary, the growth in this part of the city has not been regulated by the authorities, which is why it is so important to pay attention to it.
The Los Cabos City Council drafted the Partial Urban Development Plan for this area for 2024 last year, and work has been underway since then on updating it, which is a priority due to the urgency of providing the area with a development plan that allows for better provision of basic services, such as drinking water, electricity, and transportation.
The document is in the final stage of review by the Municipal Planning Institute. It will then be reviewed by the Baja California Sur State Government for its opinion, and finally, it will undergo a second citizen consultation process.
The El Tezal Citizen Council is working to accelerate the process to control the arrival of more developments without planning and compliance with regulations.