About
5 miles south of San Juan del Sur- Nicaragua’s most popular beach destination
- lies a development that could impact Nicaragua like no other.
Outside of
the charming but noisy little town yet still near enough to enjoy its benefits,
there is a majestic valley in which lies a development called Las Fincas
de Escamequita.
Las Fincas
is a refreshing change to the way most developers are approaching Nicaragua.
Las Fincas offer large ocean view parcels averaging just less than 3 acres
each (research indicates most lots in Nicaragua are only ¼ acre)
with an average price at about $75k.
They recently
released a new option called The Haciendas at Las Fincas which feature
even larger parcels designed right into the reserve area. There is
a master development policy from First American Title Insurance Company
of Miami, and the company pays for all the closing and registration costs
so there are no hidden fees. Now this is a great deal if that is all that
was offered.
However,
this isn’t what truly sets Las Fincas apart.
Las Fincas
is one of the first “eco-friendly” communities in Nicaragua and before
you roll your eyes at that often over-used term, take a closer look.
The developers,
a U.S. citizen now living in Nicaragua and a Nicaraguan recently returned
home - have created Nica Dev www.nicadev.com. As partners, they decided
to self-impose regulations aimed at the protection of the existing trees,
as well as limit building size and structure (one story). They have taken
it a step further by requiring all residents to be on renewable energy,
in this case solar powered (a basic system is included in the purchase
price!). This development is completely off grid- meaning no burden to
the water, sewage, or power systems of the country. And Nica Dev
is doing even more.
Through intelligent,
upfront planning, they created over 450 acres of private reserve. Far different
from most locations where “green areas” are created planting strips woven
through a development in an attempt to mask the destruction in the planning
process, this is true primary forest with beautiful canopies and includes
part of the river “Escamequita” from which the owners took the name.
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| The owners
decided to rejuvenate the forest by planting over 32,000 indigenous trees
in their first year and are currently planting another 25,000 this year.
In fact, they have recently been recognized as Nicaragua’s largest private
reforestation project that is returning the forest to its primary state.
“We saw a need
for something more sensitive” says Donn Wilson, a southern California native
who relocated about 3 years ago. “There are just too many people recreating
down here what everyone is running away from in the states; small lots
crammed together and community pools with swim-up nacho bars”, a concept
Wilson claims he saw in Costa Rica a while back.
“Our philosophy
is simple” says Nicaraguan partner Juan Manuel Caldera, “Give more land
for your money, be eco-friendly and give back to the local community. By
creating this bond with our neighbors we are engaging in a positive, sustainable
way”.
Juan is speaking
of the Nica Dev into which these two are donating part of each sale.
This fund contributors back into the neighboring community in the form
of water filtration systems, ecologically sound stoves, even building churches,
schools and new roads!
“We were just
hoping to offer something different and have been rewarded with so much
more” says Wilson, speaking of the development. “What we’ve created is
a real sense of community with like minded individuals sensitive to the
environment and the people of this country.
We realize
that we are not for everyone, but for those who want a sustainable option,
we seem to be the only one”. |
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