El Siglo newspaper explains one of the reasons the deputies have not approved the contract for the swap of private property where the 720-apartment Pan American village is going up for government property nearby. The newspaper reports that Sanak, the company that is building the athletes village near the las Americas Airport, secured an option to purchase another 500,000 square meters of government property next to where the village is going up and for the same low price the first property is to be sold for. It also establishes that the company has three years to make the purchase. The construction of the village is expected to considerably raise the value of property in the area. The cost per square meter today is RD$70. The newspaper estimates that once the village, new roads and the CyberPark are all operational, as well as other projects in the area such as the AES natural gas plant and the Caucedo mega port, the property could increase in value to RD$600 a square meter, representing significant profits for the construction company at the expense of the state. The contract also establishes that Sanak will pay for the first property by giving to the state 35 apartments of those under construction for the Pan Am village appraised at RD$1 million each.
