The second meeting of the Committee of Ministers under the government of José Antonio Kast approved the largest real estate project in the country’s history: Maratué, in Puchuncaví.
The meeting—held on April 13, less than 15 days after the previous one—ratified the Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA) granted by the Valparaíso Environmental Assessment Commission in October 2024 and rejected the objections against the project.
Maratué is a long-term, primary-housing (70%) development linked to the Lería Luksic family. “It envisions building a maximum of 14,180 homes (with 50% green spaces) over a 45-year period, at a rate of 300 housing units per year, to maintain the urban center of the municipality,” the company stated. Of these homes, at least 2,000 will be subsidized, built through Serviu projects.
The project also includes a 125-hectare conservation area—almost twice the size of O’Higgins Park—where protection and ecological management measures have been implemented. A management program is in place that includes monitoring the belloto forest, managing the conservation area, and consolidating Maratué Park, a space open to the community, along with beach access.
“The Ministerial Committee’s decision is very good news for the region. It not only confirms the project’s technical soundness but also provides the necessary certainty to continue moving forward with its development,” said Claudia Lería, director of the Maratué project.
The meeting also rejected the claims against Metro Line 7.
The Ministerial Committee included the Ministers of the Environment, Francisca Toledo; Health, May Chomalí; Economy and Mining, Daniel Mas; Agriculture, Jaime Campos; and Energy, Ximena Rincón.
Minister Toledo emphasized that the Ministry of the Environment is “supporting the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) in its plan to expedite the appeals process. This aims to comply with the presidential directive to accelerate the review of appeals filed against investment projects, but also seeks to establish a new working strategy.”
Prolonged Processing
According to Maratué, “the resolution comes after an extensive and rigorous environmental assessment process, the history of which dates back to 2017.”
This is the second Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA) obtained by the project: the first was issued unanimously in 2019, but in 2021 the Committee of Ministers decided to revise its assessment on four of the 19 points analyzed.
Following this, between 2022 and 2024, the initiative focused on responding to the requirements of the Committee of Ministers through regional authorities and brought on board Foster + Partners and BL Arquitectos for the final design and master plan of the project.
Now, with this approval, “Maratué will immediately begin the necessary operational steps to move forward with its development, starting with and prioritizing subsidized housing, which will be coordinated with the Serviu (Regional Housing and Urban Development Service) and the community’s housing committees, representing more than 500 families,” the company explained.