Residents of Piantini, an upscale neighborhood in Santo Domingo, are vehemently opposing the construction of the massive Wyndham Grand Everest and Everest Tower. They have spent heavily in a legal battle against the mega project. As the name implies, the high-rise towers over everything else in the once quiet residential area.
The Wyndham Grand Everest and Everest Tower is almost finished in the Piantini sector of Santo Domingo. Its main attraction is the revolving restaurant that would be a first for Santo Domingo.
The construction features the revolving restaurant, a helipad and condo-hotel. One bedroom apartments are for sale for US$243,000 and target foreign buyers. Yet the residents deem the high-rise is incompatible with the quiet residential street where it is being built.
In a press release, local residents called on city officials to immediately halt construction, citing numerous violations of building codes and laws. The residents’ association expressed surprise that the project had not already been suspended, noting that they had formally requested its cancellation in November 2023. Since the start of the construction, residents have been protesting, with the authorities standing by their permits.
The press release explains: “The project blatantly disregards the zoning regulations for the central district and environmental laws,” the statement reads. “The helipad and revolving restaurant pose significant safety hazards and will create unbearable noise and light pollution for nearby residents.”
The construction would have received the corresponding permits and tax privileges from Confotur of the Ministry of Tourism. Likewise, the National District government would have issued its permits. Mayor Carolina Mejia and her team are known for their granting of numerous permissions that in previous city governments had not been issued for the same reasons that these are small streets, water and sewage capacities and the high-rises are expected to bring havoc to those who live in the area.
The Wyndham Grand Everest was announced in Fitur 2023 as a US$100 million investment to operate as a condo hotel under the Legacy Brand Hotels. It is slated to open in 2025, offering reportedly 252 rooms, restaurants and meeting rooms.
Follow the story:
El Nuevo Diario
Arecoa
Brick Apple REalty
Bill Lockward
18 September 2024