• $100 investment • Three hotels • 600 houses
• 500 condos • International Airport

Plans aired for Isla Viveros

Roderick García, The sales manager of The Viveros
Group shows the project.

The Viveros Group will invest $100 million in the development of Isla Viveros, in Las Perlas Archipelago, located 72 kilometers southeast of the city of Panama. The European investors plan to build 600 houses, 500 condominium apartments and three luxury hotels, plus restaurants, bars, discotheques, casino, spa, boutiques and shopping center.

The project, which has suffered a series of setbacks due to labor problems between the constractors and the Construction Workers Union, now seems to be on track and the first 15 houses have begun to take shape.

Roderick García, Sales Manager of Viveros Group.

Isla Viveros, has an area of measures 600 hectares will have an international airport with an airstrip of 6000 feet, on which 727 airplanes will be able to land. Also a marina with a capacity for 300 vessels and a yacht club, with all the services including yacht maintenance.

The 18 hole, 72 par golf course designed by Jack Nicklays is surrounded by a residential area for 250 houses.

For those people who own airplanes, between 15 and 20 houses will be built near the airport with taxi-ing and hangar capabilities. The rest of the dwellings will be constructed near the beach or the bay.

The lots for sale will measure between 3500m2 to 6000m2. The buyers will be able to select among the four home models designed by the architect Ignacio Mallol or if they prefer they could bring their own blueprints. The only stipulation is that they can use only 15 per cent of the land to build their home, in order to preserve the ecological balance of the island. The cost of the houses is around $350,000 and $750,000.

All the utilities will be underground and they are creating a treatment system for sewage to avoid the contamination of the coral reefs which surround the island. The electricity will be produced by propane gas and the use of gasoline vehicles will not be allowed in the island. Electric cars will be utilized for transportation.

In the first phase of the project they are planning to built the physical infrastructure for the shopping area, install the utilities such as water and electricity, construct the marina and a boutique hotel with a capacity for 140 guests.

The developers expect to finish the project in ten years and plan for the island to become a tourist venue for Panamanians and foreigners alike.