During its preparatory meeting on Friday, August 28, the Social and Economic Council (SER) of Curaçao received a briefing on the draft National Ordinance revising the zoning regulations for Koraal Tabak. The briefing was delivered by government experts designated for that purpose by Minister Charles Cooper of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning (VVRP).
The draft provides for a partial revision of the Island Development Plan (EOP) covering approximately 218 hectares of Koraal Tabak. It seeks to reclassify portions currently designated as ‘Open Land’ as, among other categories, ‘Urban Residential Area,’ ‘Tourism Area,’ ‘Park Area,’ and ‘Main Roads.’ This would establish a planning framework for development of the area. The explanatory memorandum accompanying the draft envisages a phased development comprising roughly 2,800 homes, 500 tourism-related units, and a range of community, recreational, and commercial facilities.
The exchange allowed the SER of Curaçao to raise further questions concerning, among other matters, housing demand, socioeconomic effects, public-sector costs, infrastructure, protection of nature and the landscape, and the plan’s feasibility. Based on the briefing and the available case file, the SER of Curaçao will continue preparing its socioeconomic advisory opinion. The council’s final assessment will be set out in that opinion.