On Wednesday, April 9, businessman Óscar Lería and his daughter Claudia Lería Scarneo visited Puchuncaví in person, accompanied by architect Juan Frigerio, a member of the staff of the renowned London-based architecture firm Foster + Partners—whose founder and CEO is Norman Foster—who traveled from England specifically for this meeting. They were received by the mayor of Puchuncaví, Marcos Morales, and council members Juan Elías, René Valencia, Rosa del Pilar Berríos, Juan Gilberto Peña, Benjamín Angulo, and Andrea Lodi. The meeting took place at the La Greda Municipal Gymnasium in Ventanas and was open to local residents and families.
The purpose of the meeting was for these local authorities to be the first to learn firsthand about the Maratué master plan, the mega real estate project that Osler Inversiones, the family office of Óscar Lería Chateau and his children, intends to carry out in that area of the Valparaíso region. It comprises a 1,024-hectare plot of land located between Maitencillo to the north and Horcón to the south—in the area of the former Quirilluca estate, now designated as an urban or urban expansion zone—where they plan to develop approximately 14,180 homes over a period of about 40 years, with an estimated investment of US$2 billion. Called the Maratué de Puchuncaví Urban Housing Development, and owned by Inmobiliaria El Refugio Ltda., this is the largest residential real estate project currently under development in Chile, in terms of scale and investment, and the largest ever assessed by the country’s environmental system in the real estate sector.
At the meeting that Wednesday, which was also attended by Franco Venegas (Sustainability Manager and Socio-Environmental Officer at Osler) and Klaus Benkel (from the local firm BL Arquitectos), local authorities and residents opened the discussion with questions following the initial presentation by Claudia Lería and Juan Frigerio. The questions ranged from environmental issues and employment to the project’s potential impact on municipal coffers. Lería, his daughter, and the architects took turns answering these questions, with Frigerio speaking at the close. He urged Chile not to miss this development opportunity, noting that this is also the only project Foster + Partners has undertaken in Chile, as the firm now rarely takes on new projects. He emphasized that “the environment doesn’t take care of itself.” Foster + Partners even posted about the event on their social media and website.
“Green Bridge”
To arrive at this master plan, Óscar Lería and Claudia Lería traveled to London in the last week of February—along with Felipe Lizana, the real estate manager, and the Chilean architects—to receive the document, which is actually a book (five copies), in which the renowned firm outlined its vision for Maratué.
In detail, a summary of the master plan, including accompanying graphic documents—to which DF MAS had access—reveals that the project considers only 8% of the land area to be built footprints, that is, the sum of the footprints of all the buildings; only 22% is buildable area; and 65% will be green and open spaces, including the conservation of native areas and ecosystems (43%), wetlands, etc.
The project aims to develop through urban clusters. Three large clusters will be located in the area adjacent to the current site of Puchuncaví, and three more towards the coast. And since a new route, the expansion of Route F30 being developed by the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), crosses between these two large areas, the master plan proposes the creation of a linear park connecting Puchuncaví with the Pacific Ocean. To achieve this, they envision the construction of a “green bridge,” at the expense of the initiative’s managers, over the Puchuncaví bypass. This bridge would reconnect these two large areas, currently fragmented across the territory, thus creating a unified character (see image). This crossing—the first of its kind in Chile—is intended for pedestrian, bicycle, and animal (including local fauna such as foxes) traffic, but not vehicular traffic. It is estimated that the journey between Puchuncaví and Quilluca—as the entire area culminating in the cliffs overlooking the sea is known—could be completed in approximately one hour on foot or about 20 minutes by bicycle.
70% Primary Residences
Regarding neighborhoods and housing, the project plans to begin with the construction of social housing, approximately 400 units—out of a total of 2,000 subsidized units included in the project, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s DS 49 and DS 19 housing programs—which would be located near Puchuncaví. The management group plans to be directly involved in the construction of these subsidized homes, while for the rest of the development, they plan to sell large lots to third-party developers.
Overall, each group of three clusters would share a “green heart”—as it is called in the master plan document—a central space equipped with community services such as schools, health centers, and others. The commitment is that the buildings constructed within the project will not exceed the height of the tree canopy. Approximately 70% will be primary residences and 30% secondary residences. Projected price estimates? A second home on the beachfront will cost around 6,000 to 8,000 UF, while houses will range from 2,000 to 6,000 UF. The developers’ aim is to keep prices reasonable, unlike existing developments in the area such as Marbella, Cachagua, or Zapallar. In other words, they are targeting a market currently unavailable in the area.
Another element presented is the developers’ intention to gradually transfer one of the access roads to the municipality for the development of common areas and public services, such as fire stations and municipal offices, among others.
In the document, the developers emphasize that the project seeks to combine ecological conservation with social inclusion and that they are open to establishing open working groups, acknowledging that there are critical perspectives on the project.
The Booby and the Committee of Ministers
Indeed, regarding the environmental aspects of the project, Maratué has a valid Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA) issued on October 28th for its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). However, two appeals against the project were filed last December. One was led by Francisco Astorga Cárcamo, a well-known lawyer and member of the NGO Environmental Defense, representing 24 individuals, and the other by Alejandra Donoso, representing Katta Alonso.
Among the diverse concerns expressed in those texts, one raised, for example, the scale of the project, alluding to the fact that the 14,000 planned homes would house approximately 56,000 inhabitants, tripling the current population of the Puchuncaví commune, which, according to the 2017 census, has 18,546 residents. This would be equivalent to the population of communes like Parral or Cauquenes, with around 50,000 inhabitants.
“It is evident that, in practice, this private project represents the scale of the first private city subjected to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA),” reads one of those texts.
But following those concerns, it was Claudia Lería herself, in her capacity as representative of the real estate company managing Maratué, who, on March 5th, in a document of some 94 pages, addressed and clarified aspects of the project. For example, the municipality of Puchuncaví already has high rates of population growth due to road connectivity projects and because it is the area of organic growth in the northern part of the Valparaíso Region. This has led to irregular land subdivisions, squatting, and shortages, in contrast to Maratué, which aims to contribute to growth through urban planning and a gradual 40-year process, at a rate of approximately 315 units per year.
Following the complaints, several agencies were officially notified, including the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), the National Tourism Service (Sernatur), the Superintendency of Sanitary Services (SISS), the National Monuments Council, the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), the General Water Directorate (DGA), and the National Geology and Mining Service (Sernageomin). So far, the only entity to respond has been the SAG (Agricultural and Livestock Service), which did so on April 11. They addressed concerns regarding the potential impact of the project on the Peruvian booby (Sula variegata), concluding that the measures and actions proposed by the project proponent and established in the Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA) are “adequate.” The SAG also mentions that the area “is free of species categorized as ‘endangered’ or ‘critically endangered’” and that the RCA designates a conservation area to ensure that nesting sites for this species are located more than 500 meters from the nearest dwelling.
What happens next? Once all the requested responses and reports are received, the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) will issue a report recommending whether or not to approve the project. The final decision will then rest with the Committee of Ministers. While awaiting a favorable outcome and a decision before the current government’s term ends, Osler is already taking steps: he wants to find a strategic partner, preferably international, to join him in this investment, and time is always a critical factor, especially in large-scale developments like this, after 10 years of developing Maratué on their own.
PLAYA LUNA AND NATURISM
In her March report, Claudia Lería expressed concern about the impact on the beaches located within the project’s area of influence, specifically Playa Quirilluca and Playa Luna. The document states that the results of the capacity study showed that both beaches meet the standard of 5 m² per user. It further elaborated on the situation at Playa Luna and the fact that the project would not affect the practice of naturism (nudism) there. The report even detailed an in-person interview with René Rojas, president of the Playa Luna Foundation, who, when specifically asked about the potential consequences of having an urban development project nearby, stated that he foresaw no problems if people were informed and free to choose. Claudia Lería’s report also specifies that the buildings will not have a view of Playa Luna, since the first line of construction is located more than 150 meters from the cliff in the Playa Luna area, and Playa Luna itself is 50 meters below the cliff edge, preventing any visual access from the buildings. “It won’t be like Reñaca or Cochoa, with buildings on the cliff,” sources contacted by this publication stated.
To present the master plan, architect Juan Frigerio of Foster + Partners traveled from England to Puchuncaví. In his closing remarks, he urged Chile not to miss the opportunity to have an initiative like this, the only one in which this renowned firm has participated in the country. “The environment doesn’t take care of itself,” he told them.
With microphone in hand, Óscar Lería presents the project alongside his daughter Claudia Lería and architect Juan Frigerio.
Overall view of what Maratué would look like, its urban clusters, and the beaches below the cliffs.