Paseo Morelia update

Technorati Tags: Paseo Morelia,La Nueva Morelia,Jesus del Monte,Morelia Mall,Altozano,Ciudad tres Marias

The above drawing will give you an idea of some of the companies that have signed on with Grupo GICSA that will form this large mall.

Most of the names you will recognize, Wal-Mart, Sears, Liverpool, Carl Jrs., Sanborn;s etc. Play City, Johnny Rockets, Italiannis Restaurant are some of the lesser known establishments. Any idea why it is Cinemex and not Cinepolis movie theaters here ? I have been told close to 70% of the major locales have been reserved.

Below is an outline of the stores layered over a recent photo of the construction site. As you can see, there is still a ways to go, but they are working on it 24/7. My teenage kids are more anxious than I regarding its completion, small town life is just too dull for them!

Place your bets !!

If I were a betting man, this is the access road I would bet the ranchito on. The white line in the photo is the second proposal of access to the Paseo Morelia mall and the rest of Altozano. This will require a "Megapuente", a bridge of some sort, which is shown in the two white arches which will span the Rio Chiquito .

This makes much more sense to me, as the access will be from the McDonald's on Camelinas near the Plaza Morelia. The Megatunnel which I have described in previous posts, although it may be more unique and possibly more asthetic to the eye, is too controversial in this town. Plus its access to Camelinas is at the Sanson Flores intersection, which is only one stoplight away from the present access road at "La Paloma" intersection.

Of course, all of this now is a giant political football. Without getting too political, the players here are very high profile at this moment in Mexico. Felipe Calderon, Morelia's native son, and present President of the Republic, is more than ready to fork over the pesos to make this project a success. Standing in the way, is the newly elected Governor of Michoacan, whom is from the opposition party. Will funds forked over from the Federal Government, be used to buoy the opposition's losing presidential candidate? I understand his real initials are MALO , but somehow Andres became his first name, not Manuel, after he had the epiphany of politics in his blood.

Alas,, politics aside, two access roads to this area will happen this year. Too many interests are at stake for it not to happen. One will be the MegaPuente or MegaTunnel, and the other will be an access out to the Patzcuaro Highway.

Plaza Las Americas, virtual tour

For a virtual tour of how the revamped Plaza Las Americas will look inside, visit this youtube video posted by Manavion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO402M57RcE

Altozano's Master Plan. where they stand.

Above is the master plan for the Altozano project. I took this off of their website, and I have amplified the numbers and put some of the communities in English. Their website is a little frustrating to navigate, regardless of the language. http://www.altozano.com.mx/. Anyway, you can click on the above map, enlarge it, so that the names and numbers are legible. I am going to clarify the specific areas in this and future posts with photos to show their present state of development.



1. Bosque Monarca...see previous posts for photos. I have been told that 9 holes will be open for play this spring. I hope to get there soon to take some updated photos of the golf course construction. In December, there were only a handfull of holes ready for play.












2 . Punta Altozano (anyone else have the tendency to say/type Altazona?) I have insider info on this, as one of my in-laws built a nice 3 BR home here. There are modern townhomes, aimed at both first time home buyers, young families, as well as retirees.











Punto Altozano is the most populated area of the development as of now. It is very close to the entrance to Bosque Monarca, the golf course.




3. Paraiso Altozano. This is just to the right as you head down the hill from the Tec de Monterry traffic circle. At present, there are 2-3 buildings in this gated community. The appear to be well built, large residences.

THE PRICE OF PROGRESS

This field to the right was one of my favorites up here near Altozano. This photo was taken in Sept 2005 when the "Mirasoles" were in full bloom....Almost looks as if it should be hanging in the Musee d'Orsay.

This is how the field looked last fall, after the Government got hold of it. The city decided to use it as a construction area, as they spent months destroying, then rebuilding our main access road into Jesus del Monte. Hopefully the Mirasoles will return, they are almost like weeds up here.

 

Our road to Jesus Del Monte before the construction began. A little cluttered with pedestrian traffic, but overall, not in too bad a state.

 

 

 

 

For weeks, this is how they left the access road to my home, and no, I do not own a range rover.

 

 

 

For many a day, this is how the road looked , or worse, with machines standing idly by while Government officials looked for the money that was "misplaced".

 

 

 

One year later, here is the new road, pretty much like the old road, although the septic, drainage, and water pipes below are in much better repair.

Paseo Morelia

Construction on the new "Paseo Morelia" mall keeps going, day and night. It still boggles my mind to think I will have one of the largest malls in Latin America (reported to be between 90-120,ooo square meters of construction), near my backyard. The success or failure of this depends on the access routes to be approved and built by the government. Below is a bird's eye view of where the "megatunnel" is slated to be built.

The white area in the photo to the right is where the mall is being constructed, the white curvy line cutting through the trees is where the megatunnel will be built underground. The golf course on the lower left is the Club Campestre, to give you an idea of locale.

This shot was taken from the Pope's traffic circle in January, it is hard to appreciate the immensity of this mall from afar. I guess they know their market, and I will not quarrel with Grupo GICSA's success, but with the new look "Plazas Las Americas" and the redone " Antigua Centro Caminero" (see below), I have my doubts that all this retail space can be successful.

The "old" bus station as it looks today, it is behind the " Mercado de Dulces" in Morelia center. It sits abandoned as we speak, but my memories of first arriving on an ETN bus to Morelia here live on.

The proposed new look mall at the same site (right). Supposedly, funding for its construction is due to kick in this year (2008)

The 1st stage of the "Plaza Las Americas" facelift is nearing its completion. The new half of the present plaza that includes Sears and Fabricas de F

rancia is due to open within the next month or two...or 3 or 4 :)

Getting airborne, sin topes!!

Construction of the new highway to Morelia's International Airport is plugging along as you can see. Once finished, it will take roughly 20 minutes from MLM to Morelia center.

Right now the old way winds through 2-3 towns with several topes (speed bumps) in each, taking 45 minutes by cab, depending on how daring and reckless your driver is.

These photos were taken in December 2007, near the center of Charro. I believe the highway will start at the Charro exit off of Camelinas, it will cross the old airport road just east of the airport, continuing on and connecting you to the Mexico City-Guadalajara toll road.

Three industrial parks are planned in the area, one in Zinapecuaro, not too far east of the airport, the other is an expansion of the present Ciudad Industrial on the eastern side of Morelia, and the 3rd will be a high tech center in Tres Marias, offering both lower and upper middle class wages.

The Triplets

The third and final tower in the "Torres de Altozano" project is nearing its completion. I am impressed with the architects' imagination, or should I say ambition. Each tower is taller than the previous, lending to what I would assume to be more expensive Penthouse views, as well as more square footage to sell.

Also of note, is that each tower is built at a slight angle to the other, affording spectacular views of the surrounding landscape. I would not doubt that one can see the Cathedral downtown from the upper floors. I have only been in the first (shortest) tower. Each tower has its own gymnasium, and I believe an outdoor Olympic style pool is in the plans. For more info, visit http://www.altozano.com.mx/torresdealtozano/ano/ .

Fore, score.....maybe 7 years

To be fair, these photos were taken last Summer & Fall 2007, so the construction has come along. When finished, this will be a very nice 18 hole golf course, quite a bit different from the Tres Marias course. Tres Marias is similar to a Southwest USA canyon course. This will be more of a wooded , tight shots, very scenic golf course with two man-made ponds and a small stream running through it. I used to hike out here, and there were always signs of coyote, fox, deer, etc.

"Bosques Monarca Country Club" was due to have its inauguration last November, but seems to be on Mexican time :))

Now, before you go and make your tee times, the photos above are of the 4-5 holes that have grass, most of the course is in the state of the photos below. The drainage and water pipes have been put in place, but the fairways and greens have yet to be seeded. I do not forsee this course being open until 2009, hopefully they will prove me wrong.

What's in a name??

The powers to be in the Monarch Mountain Project are not satisfied with the results happening up here on the mesa overlooking Morelia, or so the birdies tell me. They contracted a Spanish consulting firm to find a way to boost sales of the gated communities that are taking over the cow pastures up here near Jesus Del Monte.


So what do you think a Spanish consulting firm would come up with? "Monarcas" is too common for the upper crust that we are looking for up here (sarcasm interjected). Heaven forbid, taxis, tacos stands, soccer teams, all have this commoner's name "Monarca". We must name it after something mucho mas cavalier....say, a Spanish wine, ..yeah, who'da thunk it! Never mind that Michoacan is the winter home to the fluttering insect with the regal name.


So, after thousands of pesos spent on name buildup on the radio, etc. , this project has morphed from the Monarch Mountain project, (aka "Montana Monarca"), equally regal and easily remembered in both languages, to become known as "Altozano". Just reposition the Os and the As in that name, and you can become as confused as I.


I am sure that a looming recession and huge housing downturn in North America had as much to do with any slowdown here, then the name, but who am I to opine. On to the changes that have taken place since my last posting, much more than name changes.


The Pope's blessing

The traffic circle, or to us New Englanders: "Rotary" has a new statue, of the travelling Pope, Juan Pablo II. Most new businesses in Mexico make sure they have a priest come in to bless the establishment at its opening, not here in "Altozano" we have boulevards and statues honoring the late Pope.