El Siglo carried last week a report on several megaprojects (residential and commercial) going up in the capital city of Santo Domingo, evidence of investors confidence in the economy. On Sunday, the Listín Diario compiled a similar list, reporting that investments of RD$3,400 million are planned for shopping malls (more than US$212 million). These will provide an estimated 6,000 new jobs most by the end of 2000. The new malls are: Comercial Plaza Duarte. Carr. Duarte Km. 10-1/2. 17,000 square meters. 600 jobs. RD$476.4 million. Largest French investment in the DR. PriceSmart Dominicana. Charles Sumner, Los Prados. 22,500 sq. meters, 400 jobs. RD$320 million. This membership-shopping mall, first of its kind in the DR, is expected to be finished by the end of 1999. Plaza Lama. Av. 27 de Febrero corner Winston Churchill. 30,000 square meters 600 jobs. RD$150 million first phase. Second phase contemplates construction of an 18 floor building. Completion by July 2000. Multicentro Pola-La Sirena. Av. Charles de Gaulle, near Jacobo Majluta. 125,000 square meters. 500 jobs. RD$200 million. One floor. Capacity for 3,000 parking spaces. Megacentro. San Vicente de Paul corner Carr. Mella. 67,000 square meters. 3,5000 jobs. RD$1,200 million. Largest to be built in the DR. Gathers Centro Cuesta Nacional, La Americana and La Gran Via department stores. 2,600 parking spaces. Torre Acropolis. Winston Churchill corner Rafael Augusto Sanchez. 8,000 square meters. RD$1,048 million. The El Siglo report had listed: The Malecón Center. Commercial and residential project on the Malecón. Three 30-floor towers. Seafronting apartments are to go for more than US$300,000 each. Ciudad Modelo Mirador Norte. Three million square meter residential development. 12,000 dwellings for middle class Dominicans. Self-sufficient power, garbage and potable water services. El Prado Grand Hotel is slated for completion in August 2000. It will have 254 rooms and the city’s largest meeting rooms, with capacity for more than 2,000 persons. It is going up on the Malecón. And the recently-opened Multicentro, a US$19 million mall on Winston Churchill.
