40 floor hard rock hotel to be built in SD

[the gorgon]

Come on, don't get silly. Where/when did I say that you could find bachata in each and every corner of the US? I haven't looked for bachata in Arkansas, and cannot comment on that. On the other hand, this website is about salsa in LR, and specifically mention bachata among the rhythms targeted. Almost certainly, most LR salsa events have a significant bachata component and possibly a bachata room. If you don't like websites and prefer to go door to door checking that is your business, but it is not very efficient. The whole point of such sites is to help people find what they want with minimal search time.

Anyhow, my point was that BACHATA LOVERS -- who are quite a few and spread around the world -- have another reason to know the DR for that reason. I did not mean that the vast majority of the people in the world were bachata lovers or knew what it was. It's somewhat similar to baseball, in that it is big in some places, and virtually unknown in others, yet there are a lot of baseball fans combined and they know about the DR for that reason. Of course many human beings have no idea what baseball is (hopefully some of them know/like bachata)

name me one bachata band from a country not named the Dominican Republic that has any kind of a following. let us start there.

 

[the gorgon]

Of course football (soccer) is a bigger sport than baseball. I said it myself. Did you miss that? I brought up the WBC b/c you showed your ignorance by claiming that the DR hasn't won anything important in baseball. In fact, it is the REIGNING WBC champion, which is the MAIN international competition in baseball. It is scheduled when MLB teams are finishing their pre-season training and for this reason many important players do play and are in nearly top form. The second most important professional international baseball competition this side of the world is the Caribbean series which the DR has won more than any other country.

I already explained to you that most first-time visitors aren't stupid enough to just spend their vacation money AND time in a place without first doing some basic research, which is extremely simple to do these days. You may be the last to know about travel review websites. When most people are dissatisfied with a place, prospective first-time visitors know about it and most go elsewhere. Get it? It's not that difficult a concept. And what is your source for your claims on non-return rates for the country?

you won the last world baseball cup, now known as the classic, in 2013. since 1938, you won it once. with all that talent, you should have done a little better.

 

[AlterEgo]

Even after deleting the totally non-DR-related posts, this thread has been taken totally off topic and is therefore closed

Herding cats......

If anyone has links to news articles about the hotel, send me a pm and I will either update or reopen

 

[AlterEgo]

Reopened for update. Let's try harder to keep posts on topic please

 

[dv8]

an update on the construction:
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/...ivas-YE3464463
a sign of the problems to come?

as a side note, guys, please try to stay on topic this time around

 

[xstew]

Have heard that Maribel Villona of Colonial Zone Hotel Francais fame is offering [For a large price] To be in charge of the project.

 

[Chirimoya]

Here we go, from today's DR1 News:

Residents protest Hard Rock Hotel construction
Neighborhood groups are protesting the construction of the Hard Rock Hotel in Santo Domingo, according to a report in Diario Libre. Residents associations from the the Piantini, Yolanda Morales, Paraiso, Naco and Seralles neighborhoods say that the construction violates several regulations and argue it will worsen the traffic situation. Furthermore, they say the casino that will form part of the hotel will have a negative impact on the local area by creating problems such as prostitution, drugs and violence. The hotel is being built on Abraham Lincoln Avenue at the corner with Andres Julio Aybar Street, but the residents say the construction has begun without the required permits.
The neighborhood groups said they are taking legal steps to oppose the casino's construction.
Once completed, the hotel will be the country's tallest building with 38 floors, of which six would consist of a shopping mall. It will also include a 2,300-square meter casino. City regulations establish a maximum height of 23 floors in this area according to National District Municipality resolution 94/98, reports Diario Libre. However, city government planning department director Narciso Guzman denied the limit is in violation of the rules.
Diario Libre says that as of March 2016, the Ministry of Hacienda's casino department had not received the required documentation for granting the permits.
In an editorial in Diario Libre today, Tuesday 26 April 2016, managing editor Ines Aizpun writes: "How can we protect ourselves? Will this string of violations that makes the city increasingly uncomfortable, hostile, noisy and difficult, ever stop?
"Which candidates for Mayor have promised to revert some of these infractions? Who talks about urbanism, planning? Who has a plan that is not the same old propaganda? Who has presented a technical team that inspires respect and confidence? Hugging old ladies and children should not be enough."
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...o-en-la-lincoln-incumple-normativas-YE3464463[/B]

 

[dv8]

i hope it will go either way soon: abandon the project before it's too late or obtain all the permits and go ahead with it. SD does not need another skeleton construction in the city centre.

 

[Mauricio]

I think somewhere in this topic a poster is insisting the drainage and treatment of residual waters in Santo Domingo isn't at its capacity for the construction projects going on, this being debated by others. I asked my BIL his opinion (as an architect) and he fully agreed but more importantly today on the radio a long discussion about the problems SD is facing if they are not doing something NOW about the huge lack of capacity of disposal and treatment of residual water where houses are being replaced by apartment buildings or 3-story offices by 40-story hotels as well as the lack of education in the consumption of potable water, where those receiving 24 hours of water per day also waste water 24 hours per day because of broken faucets, malfunctioning toilets and just careless when using potable water.

 

[dv8]

more issues regarding construction of this project:
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2016/07/16/invalidan-vista-publica-sobre-hotel-hard-rock

 

[dv8]

another update, another problem:
http://hoy.com.do/en-el-poligono-central-no-aceptaran-casino-en-hotel/

 

[ramesses]

If it ever gets done, will they have to close at midnight?

 

[dv8]

tomorrow there is a public viewing regarding the construction of hard rock hotel in SD and the president of the neighbourhood board of piantini calls people to participate. she says the construction violates council norms and will cause environmental problems, transit chaos and other issues, including gambling addiction, increase in prostitution and more drug consumption.

http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...vista-publica-sobre-hotel-hard-rock-YH4548742

 

[Riva_31]

If you didnt know, the area where are building all the hotels in Santo Domingo is now turist area, so places inside the hotels could be opened 24 hrs. The goverment changed the law and made wider the area for turist proyects, thats why now we have hotels in Tiradente Avenue, Churchill and Lincoln, they this hotel will be a reality.

The project its going to have its own firefighters station, 6 floors underground for parking lots and 1 floor will be for taxis, and also will have the bigest room in Santo Domingo for conferences, plus Casino and Disco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdwpCejvF6I

 

[ju10prd]

The center of Santo Domingo is simply 'suffocating' itself with the continual construction of high rise apartment buildings and a hotel such as this.

On the one hand AMET and MOPC are trying to come up with initiatives to improve traffic flow and on the other developments continue at a brisk pace in the central zone adding to an already unsustainable population density, including transient population, and so to also an already horrendous traffic density.

When has there been and when will there be even a miniscule effort at town planning???

Sheer and utter madness driven by commercial ego and greed.

 

[Dolores1]

Community says no to Hard Rock Casino, process to continue

Developers of the Santo Domingo Hard Rock Hotel and Casino project have still not presented a social impact study of the project as requested by community groups as a legal requirement for the Ministry of Environment to issue construction permits. Nevertheless, the Ministry validated the second public hearing held at the Ministry of Environment on Friday, 6 August 2016, where it told interested parties that the assessment process is not over. Next step is disclosure of the environmental impact study online in 15 days prior to the decision whether or not to issue an environmental permit.
Construction of the hotel and casino, the largest in the city center, has already begun in an upscale residential-commercial area of the city, at the heart of the Poligono Central.

The casino, which would be the largest in Santo Domingo, is the main concern for local residents, whose representatives are demanding that the company present the results of a comprehensive study to confirm the negative social impact they say the proposed casino, which will cover an area of nearly 2,500 square meters, could have in the community.

The proposed casino is similar in size to the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas (that has 2,800 sq. meters). The Santo Domingo casino is similar in size to that already in operation at the Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana, and is owned and operated by the same companies. The difference is that there are few local residents around the Punta Cana resort and the hotel itself has 1,700 rooms, meaning its focus is primarily on tourists. On the other hand, the Santo Domingo hotel would have 387 rooms, thus Hard Rock Hotel & Casino International is heavily targeting the local market. It describes the proposed Santo Domingo hotel “as an opportunity to fill a gap in the marketplace for a hotel that also acts as an entertainment destination for the local market,” as Frank Maduro, vice president of marketing at AIC Hotel Group promoters of the hotel, said recently in an interview with Travel Pulse.

During the public hearing at the Ministry of Environment, the developers distributed a press release announcing a 30-floor hotel. Architectural plans nevertheless adding up to a 39-floor building (seven underground floors + 32 ground floors, including six floors with amenities) in the city center at the corners of Av. Abraham Lincoln and Calle Andres Julio Aybar were also presented. When the hotel was announced by Hard Rock International in January 2016, 40 floors were mentioned.

The promoters highlighted the positive impact the hotel would have through the creation of between 600 and 900 permanent jobs and 2000-3000 during the construction stage, as well as stimulating complementary investments in the area. The company public relations firm again distributed a press release indicating the hotel would be 30 floors.

While the city limit for the area is 23 floors, the developers said they chose to not comply with the zoning limitation on the grounds that the high-rise design will create a landmark for the city on the 5,078 square meter lot.

Project consultant Mario Mendez said that in order to reduce traffic jams, a concert hall was no longer being included in the project, only the convention center. The company operates the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana where the convention center doubles up as a concert hall. Seven floors of parking with a total of 520 spaces are planned, with a heavy reliance on taxi service and valet parking. The community has also expressed concern that the project would worsen the already chaotic traffic in the chosen location of the hotel and entertainment center.

Speaking for a community of an estimated 150,000 residents, architect Omar Rancier reiterated that the project must comply with the urban rulings for the area covered by Municipal Ruling 94-98 and Environmental Law 64-00. The architect who is serving as consultant to the neighborhood boards explained that as contemplated the project would have a density of 1,333 room per hectare, that is three times more than the permitted density of 400 rooms per hectare.

He pointed to the site location violation of the zoning that prohibits the location of casinos 500 meters from schools and hospitals, and other density and height violations by the project in its current form.

On the other hand, taxi association representatives spoke in favor of the project at the meeting because of the work it would create for them.
Rafael Paz, executive director of the National Business Council, who said he was speaking as a resident of the area, backed the project saying it would create jobs, which he said was the country’s main problem. Stating that other similar developments would follow, he suggested that affected city residents could relocate to suburban residential areas such as Arroyo Hondo, which was met with loud boos from those in attendance.

Economist Antonio Flaquer countered Paz’s push for giving priority to the jobs that would be created, saying that the country’s main problem was institutional weakness and failure to comply with the law. He said that law-abiding countries attracted foreign investment. “They need to comply with the laws,” he stated.

Not every investment that creates jobs is good, Flaquer said, in reference to the proposed casino, pointing out that pornography also creates a lot of jobs. He asked: “Do we need a casino?” and mentioned the country’s existing 30,000+ betting shops and the RD$45 billion that is spent on gambling nationwide, describing it a tax on the poor.

Also speaking for the community, Mirtha Cabral stated that Hard Rock has opened hotels without casinos in 95% of their destinations, stressing that the negative social impact of casinos has been well documented. Negative impacts include an increase in criminal activities, social deviations such domestic violence, divorce, bankruptcy, drug and alcohol abuse, risky or illicit sexual behavior (especially prostitution), and problem gambling, loss of property value, and impoverishment. Cabral singled out the entertainment complex includes a large slot machine area, with state-of-the-art machines that are known to be highly addictive.

One woman made an emotional appeal to the community to be alert and reject the casino that she compared to the Spaniards who offered beads and mirrors to 'ignorant' Indians and took home all the gold they could find.

Read more:
http://www.diariolibre.com/medioambi...ores-DJ4586984
http://hoy.com.do/residentes-dn-sigu...tel-hard-rock/
http://almomento.net/bufete-tenzer-n...domingo/224549
http://www.travelpulse.com/news/hote...c-success.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/...asinos/375691/

 

[Dolores1]

We have been following the story in dr1 daily news

 

[NALs]

Some residents are truly furious. Look at the reaction towards a representative of the Hard Rock Hotel project.

[video=youtube;_qwlN8fu6Xg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qwlN8fu6Xg[/video]

 

[Chirimoya]

The DR1 News report of the meeting included the following highlights of the meeting:

Rafael Paz, executive director of the National Business Council, who said he was speaking as a resident of the area, backed the project saying it would create jobs, which he said was the country’s main problem. Stating that other similar developments would follow, he suggested that affected city residents could relocate to suburban residential areas such as Arroyo Hondo, which was met with loud boos from those in attendance.
...
One woman made an emotional appeal to the community to be alert and reject the casino that she compared to the Spaniards who offered beads and mirrors to 'ignorant' Indians and took home all the gold they could find.

 

[dv8]

the residents are already there, maybe hard rock should pick up less congested spot to build in and create entirely new neighbourhood of high rise hotels, casinos and similar developments?