Miches

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
We were in Miches last Easter and what you see in the video from 2009 appears just like the quiet small town and empty expansive beautiful beach we saw.

But now the new road from Bavaro to Sabana has opened since and the Cisneros's own most of the best beaches and land adjacent east of the town and big plans are now taking effect building 4 hotels including a Four Seasons and villa developments and a golf course......and of course it's 'eco friendly design'. I guess there is activity now on site taking place.

The locals are probably about to 'lose' their super beach to development......maybe not AI high density stuff like Bavaro, but development to benefit others in general. I do hope the developer has a large responsible budget to genuinely help and benefit the local community rather than the usual sweeteners.

My advice to DR1 members is to get out and about in the country and visit the untouched areas which hold their own beauty before they get developed and altered to accommodate the additional 4 million tourists planned by 2022.
 

Kipling333

Bronze
Jan 12, 2010
2,528
829
113
Firstly, the article is totally misleading and secondly the report from ju10prd is far from correct also ...I wish he knew more about this subject . let us start from the beginning . Cisneros and his team had many many public meetings with the people of Miches and did NOT press them on any issue ..in fact the town was 100% behind this project . Then the Cisneros family had many negotiations with the Government and said they would only proceed if the main road was made into a decent road . at present the road from Bavaro or from Higuey to Miches has been finished and for the first time the people of Miches are not trapped when bad weather come. From Miches to Sabana de la mar the road is far from finished but ,again, when it is the people of Sabana de la mar will be able to have a good road because the road to Hato Mayor is horrible,especially in bad weather . The entire cultural and development programme for the town of Miches is funded by the Cisneros family not for profit company and this year they had a special event ..I am a girl and I am important . The town of Miches has the majority of its streets now paved, thanks to the agreement between the Fundacion Tropicalia and is nothing like what is shown in the film.
You cannot see anything of the project from the road and building projects are running behind the plans and there is very little there . However the environmental work is quite astonishing.. areas that have been almost destroyed by silt have been cleaned up , the two lagoons have been cleaned up and many thousands of plants have been planted . Fishing along the coast has again become viable .. Cisneros does NOT own most of the best beaches and the town is not about to lose their super beach. That is completely false information .In fact there are some glorious beaches closer to Miches but they need maintenance ..
The really important point is that is a project that is a model for all projects that may take place in the environmental sensitive areas between Barahona and the Haitian border .. If only the DR had more people like Cisneros .. I take my hat off to him .
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
Firstly, the article is totally misleading and secondly the report from ju10prd is far from correct also ...I wish he knew more about this subject . let us start from the beginning . Cisneros and his team had many many public meetings with the people of Miches and did NOT press them on any issue ..in fact the town was 100% behind this project . Then the Cisneros family had many negotiations with the Government and said they would only proceed if the main road was made into a decent road . at present the road from Bavaro or from Higuey to Miches has been finished and for the first time the people of Miches are not trapped when bad weather come. From Miches to Sabana de la mar the road is far from finished but ,again, when it is the people of Sabana de la mar will be able to have a good road because the road to Hato Mayor is horrible,especially in bad weather . The entire cultural and development programme for the town of Miches is funded by the Cisneros family not for profit company and this year they had a special event ..I am a girl and I am important . The town of Miches has the majority of its streets now paved, thanks to the agreement between the Fundacion Tropicalia and is nothing like what is shown in the film.
You cannot see anything of the project from the road and building projects are running behind the plans and there is very little there . However the environmental work is quite astonishing.. areas that have been almost destroyed by silt have been cleaned up , the two lagoons have been cleaned up and many thousands of plants have been planted . Fishing along the coast has again become viable .. Cisneros does NOT own most of the best beaches and the town is not about to lose their super beach. That is completely false information .In fact there are some glorious beaches closer to Miches but they need maintenance ..
The really important point is that is a project that is a model for all projects that may take place in the environmental sensitive areas between Barahona and the Haitian border .. If only the DR had more people like Cisneros .. I take my hat off to him .

Kipling before you get too agitated for nothing, do you have a project development plan to share with DR1 reader so we can indeed understand the extent of the land obtained by the Cisneros group and how many of the wonderful beaches are being included in the development frontage. That will put that concern to bed, other wise we must glean from what we read and see posted on the web.

Secondly you mention that the environmental work is quite astonishing. I take it you refer to cleaning of the existing lagoons (Laguna Redonda and Laguna Limon) which are recognized wetlands in the RD and get positive write ups in Lonely Planet and the like. Why is it amazing? Does it look clean without the silt....how was that removed...and other wetland flora and fauna? For me wetlands are super sensitive eco systems and deserve the maximum study and most sensitive of development if any as a very last cause. Most jurisdictions in the Caribbean have Wetland Laws and they are protected from development even if they look bad. Again a plan of the development compared to the existing topography would help us understand what is happening to the Lagunas.

Next, tell us why the video was misleading. Poverty and poor infrastructure didn't exist? There is a longer version of the video too.

I work with developers and know full well that their marketing and PR departments are the smooth end of the operation and one must read between the lines. The hope for me would be that the local community gets something really tangible and long term out of it and that the environment has not been compromised. Time will tell.

If indeed everything is so very well handled then great. If the rawness and natural beauty of the area in a few years is lost, it is your loss. I am glad I visited before development took place. I have been lucky to see some lovely places before developers cam in and changed it all.
 

Kipling333

Bronze
Jan 12, 2010
2,528
829
113
I am not going to get into any debate with you because you have never been to the project ...it would be a waste of time . If you wish to go and report authoritively , I am sure the Fundacion would be only to glad to show both the project and the town projects.
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
15s8s1s.jpg


For the record, the area before development.
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
I am not going to get into any debate with you because you have never been to the project ...it would be a waste of time . If you wish to go and report authoritively , I am sure the Fundacion would be only to glad to show both the project and the town projects.

At the very least, since you are close to the project, can you assure those of us that are environmentally conscious,that the natural wetland reserves of Laguna Redonda and Laguna Limon, so designated by decrees, and with all their fauna and flora, are safe from development.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagunas_Redonda_y_Limón
 

tht

Master of my own fate.
Oct 10, 2002
849
154
63
Planet Earth
Sabana de la Mar to Miches is finished, done it twice since it opened a few months back. My favorite is still Miches to Pedro Sanches.
 

Kipling333

Bronze
Jan 12, 2010
2,528
829
113
I assume that you continue on to El Seibo from Pedro Sanches...it is indeed a road with most wonderful vistas and a bit of a roller coaster,but for me it is just too dangerous so I take the long way around to get from El Seibo to Miches ,,,yes Sabana to Miches is now a vastly improved road but there is still culvert work to be completed which you may not have noticed as you kept your eyes on the views over Samana Bay ..they just appear and disappear . The road now from Bavaro to Sabana de la Mar through Miches gives new life to all that area and maybe the locals who are so obviously very poor will get a market from people travelling along the road .. I am wondering also if there will be more work for the little charter boats that can be rented in Sabana mainly but also at Miches . I am unsure if the htoels at Bavaro offer a tour along this road.I do not think I have encountered anything except the local gua guas . I also do not know if these type of tours will be welcome at the Cisneros project ..we will soon see.
 

Kipling333

Bronze
Jan 12, 2010
2,528
829
113
jUst for the record ,the picture displayed shows some of the area covered by the Cisneros development but there are other areas that are outside ,,,it does not show the beaches between the development and Miches .. now where Miches is . I will be there again on Sunday or Monday so will try to take new photos ...also of the restored beach area in Miches township...will not be using the Pedro Sanches road
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
The other video showing how the area was back in 2007....note that some parts of the OP video have been lifted from this one.

[video=youtube_share;QgdmcWHp8jE]https://youtu.be/QgdmcWHp8jE[/video]

Makes you realize that the message in the OP video was right. But that dream has flown.

This is the beautiful beach just to the east edge of the town just after Rio Yeguada, I enjoyed last Easter and was very clean and swimmable then.

2m7t6cl.jpg


Photo taken at town end of Playa Arriba looking east and you can pick out the conical hill in both this photograph and the one in the earlier posted tinypic.

https://www.google.com.do/maps/plac...020 f24060df7e0!8m2!3d18.735693!4d-70.162651
 

Ecoman1949

Born to Ride.
Oct 17, 2015
2,806
1,309
113
Marshes, wetlands, lagoons are extremely sensitive marine environments and any degree of alteration can have a long lasting detrimental effect on them. Estaruine marine environments are home to incredible amounts of flora and fauna. They are also natural sewage treatment plants because the filter out the toxins released on the land side and treat them by bio-degradation.

Most developed nations recognize the value of theses sites and their ability to control flooding, especially critical now because of tidal range rise due to global warming. Any attempt to alter a marsh and remove sediment would result in shoreline loss, known as accretion. The majority of the significant marshes have been declared marine scantuarys.

I've spent years doing environmental assessment work on oiled marshes during coastal oil spills. We try to limit the human impact during oil removal to allow the marsh to recover by natural means. As much as we try, the impacts are usually long term.


I've heard horror stories about the inability of the DR government to adequately enforce regulatory compliance. The cruise port in Maimon is one example of this. The port environmental assessment was a seen to be done thing, and severely lacking in many ways. I'm not familiar with the Miches area coastal environment. If the marsh was modified by man made means, the effects will be long term and very noticeable. The golden rule of coastal geomorphology is, You can't fight nature.

Apologies for any typos. Lost my fricken glasses.
 

Kipling333

Bronze
Jan 12, 2010
2,528
829
113
Very nice video..it could have been taken in 2016 ..not much has changed .....But if you are trying to paint Cisneros as a developer without feeling for the environment or the local people, then you are barking up the wrong tree.. Maybe best if you just went and visited the project and the people working there.
 

reilleyp

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2006
1,190
663
113
Sabana de la Mar to Miches is finished, done it twice since it opened a few months back. My favorite is still Miches to Pedro Sanches.


Sorry to beat a dead horse, but there seems to be a lot of disagreement on this thread. When I drove through the area last year, the road from Bavaro to Miches was complete, but then from Miches to Sabana de la Mar, the bridges were being rebuilt, and the road was dirt, and the driving was slow.

Can you confirm that the section of highway from Miches to Sabana is complete, paved, and the bridges are finished? If so that would be great, and it must be a nice drive!
Thanks
 

tht

Master of my own fate.
Oct 10, 2002
849
154
63
Planet Earth
Yes the road is finished, I've done it twice this year since Easter. Paved all the way signs up road in good shape. The worst part is (as usual) through Miches, find the bridge on the other side of Miches but from there it's straight ahead to Punta Cana. Hato Mayor to Sabana de la Mar is still no good, getting better but slowly. Give it a go folks and don't forget Miches to El Seibo.
 
Last edited:

reilleyp

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2006
1,190
663
113
Yes the road is finished, I've done it twice this year since Easter. Paved all the way signs up road in good shape. The worst part is (as usual) through Miches, find the bridge on the other side of Miches but from there it's straight ahead to Punta Cana. Hato Mayor to Sabana de la Mar is still no good, getting better but slowly. Give it a go folks and don't forget Miches to El Seibo.

Thanks for the info!
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...cientifica-laguna-redonda-en-miches-FJ6902340

I read this article this morning about thousands of fish being found dead in Laguna Redonda, near Miches and my immediate worry is that the ongoing development by the Cisneros group borders on this special wetland.

A co DR1 poster reported in this same thread that the environmental work by that group was 'quite astonishing' and that the wetlands had been cleared up of silt. I read that with a pinch of salt.

I do hope the environmental ministry thoroughly investigate this event. Wetlands need protection and considerable care using the very best consultants when working anywhere near...and preferable not at all...to such fragile eco systems.

With powerful money in play we may never know the truth, just like the dumping of dyed water into another wetland near San Pedro recently.
 

drstock

Silver
Oct 29, 2010
4,502
2,086
113
Cabarete
Does anybody know if it is practical to drive from route 7, the SD - Samana road, to Miches/Sabana de la Mar via Bayaguana/Hato Mayor?
 

ju10prd

On Vacation!
Nov 19, 2014
4,210
0
36
Accountkiller
From what I hear there are several projects in the making for the Miches area and not just the Cisnero group. Expect news shortly (european chains).