The Senate has joined those that oppose the announced construction of nine 22-floor luxury apartment towers on grounds of the Plaza de la Salud. Proposed by the Minister of Public Works, the luxury apartments would be sold to members of the government party, at cost. The Senate approved a bill that grants authority to the board that manages the Plaza de Salud to determine what is built there. Cardinal Nicolás López Rodríguez, presides the board and strongly opposes the construction of the towers. Former President Joaquín Balaguer also opposes the construction of the towers arguing that it would be detrimental to the development of the center, which was conceived as the most modern and important medical center of the Caribbean.
