National Hotel & Tourism Association executive vice president Arturo Villanueva has spoken out in support of the construction of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Santo Domingo on Av. Abraham Lincoln and Av. Jose Andres Aybar in the Poligono Central in Santo Domingo. The area, which used to be mainly residential, has seen a boom in hotel construction in recent years, ever since the Medina government passed a tourist bill that authorizes tax exemptions for tourism-related construction. Local neighborhood groups are opposed to the 23,000 square meter casino, which will be the largest in the country, being built on the property, arguing that it will increase traffic jams and bring prostitution, drugs and crime to the area. They are also highlighting that construction has begun without the necessary permits, including the environmental permits and that the hotel announced it would be 38 floors high when city government regulations establish a maximum of 23 floors, including underground parking. The neighborhood associations have hired the law firm that won the suit against the construction of an oversized building by the owners of the Dominican Fiesta Hotel.
As quoted in Diario Libre today, Wednesday 27 April 2016, Villanueva states that several schools located in the area that have joined the opposition to the casino, are also in violation of city regulations. Villanueva says that the casino would neither be the first in the area nor the only one near schools. A small casino operates at the Holiday Inn on Av. Abraham Lincoln and the government recently authorized the Embassy Suites Hotel at Tiradentes and Fantino Falco to operate a casino.
http://www.diariolibre.com/economia/turismo/asonahores-apoya-nuevo-hard-rock-aunque-viole-normas-KN3483059
