Jaco Beach Costa Rica is Developing for the better

Jaco Beach Costa Rica Has Evolved - Mostly for the better!

Jaco Beach is a growing and developing beach town on Costa Rica's Central Pacific Coast, it is a favorite of American's, Canadian's and Costa Rican's and it is the closest beach town to San Jose, the capital city and Costa Rica's largest city. With the opening of the new Caldera Highway, Jaco will be approximately 45 minutes from the Juan Santa Maria Airport, Costa Rica's largest airport with the most and numerous international flights on a daily basis.

If you are just starting to explore Costa Rica or have been or will be traveling to Jaco, you are only receiving a snap shot of what Jaco is today. Looking at the new construction along the beach area, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the area is growing, but what did it look like just a few years ago? What has evolved in Jaco Costa Rica over the last few years? The article below by Ken Schaafsma was recently published in Costa Rica's English speaking newspaper, AM Costa Rica.

Note - Ken is the broker of Oceanside Realty in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica.

Development brought and still brings progress to Jacó

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Let's not forget the many benefits development has brought to Jacó.

It is easy to jump on the "stop progress" and "evil developer" bandwagon. With all due respect to Mr. Plumley (letter on June 22nd), he appears to be part of the problem he is defining and forgets to address all of the progress that has been made over the last five years. He is a developer who also purchased beachfront property, contributing to the rise in beach property prices and through sales efforts of his development, is attracting a growing population to Jacó.

The issue of allowing high rises should have been addressed in 2004 to 2005 when the first high rise was allowed to be built. Mr. Plumley is now asking the government to step in and cause undue hardship for others who have purchased property at the higher prices. Let the free markets dictate what prices will be. If Mr. Plumley and others are correct that Jacó is way overbuilt, then surely supply will grossly outweigh demand and real estate prices will drop (remarkably, this hasn't happened).

By the way, there are many Costa Rican families who benefited and profited by selling their beach properties and numerous others currently owned by Costa Rican's that are only willing to sell for $1,000/M2 or higher. Further, Mr. Plumley doesn't address the many benefits that he and the other "evil" developers that he referenced are creating, so I will.

Cleaner water. Yes, hard to believe, but when a new development is built, the old non-functioning septic systems go off line and new sewage treatment plants go online. The polluted water in rivers and streams are mostly from old, non-functioning septic systems and abuses up river. Acueductos y Alcantarillados has also pledged to build a municipal sewage treatment plant for Jacó, but we all know that only through developer and municipal contributions will this program be possible.

Better water pressure. Development has led to funding that has improved municipal wells and the water supply infrastructure. Just a few years ago, prior to the construction boom, the water in Jacó was lacking pressure or off more often then when functioning properly. Today, the pressure and reliability are much better.

New roads. The roads in Jacó were a disaster five years ago. No exaggeration, one needed to zig zag down main street to avoid axle breaking potholes! Some called it charm, but it wasn't charming when you received the bill from your mechanic. Today, 90 percent of the roads have new blacktop and are the best in Costa Rica (without toll roads like our friends in Escazú)!

Sustainable tax base. Beachfront properties were a steal 10 years ago, which also meant that the average property on the beach paid about $50 per year in property taxes. Tax revenue collected on just one small (developed) property has increased on average by more than 100 times the previous amounts. Multiply this out several times and it equals a lot of tax revenue. These are annual payments that will be paid to the community (from mostly foreign sources) forever! Building permit fees have also added hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue to the municipal budget.

Less Litter. Also, Jacó has less roadside litter than most Costa Rican cities and towns as full-time municipal staffers pick it up. Also, trash is collected three times a week.

Beach cleanliness. The beaches in Jacó were a disaster five years ago! At the river mouths were old sofas, car bodies, old refrigerators and lots of trash that the rains brought down from upriver. This trash sat on the beaches for weeks if not months and smelled, bred mosquitoes and was unsightly. Today, we have municipal staff that

picks up trash and cleans the beach on a regular basis. We also have a $120,000 beach cleaner that was donated by one of the developers through our local Chamber of Commerce (CENPAC).

Police presence. Check out Jacó during the school break in the upcoming weeks. You will see that Tico families have returned and are enjoying the progress that has been made on the backs and finances of North American investors. Jacó has added numerous police officers including a new municipal police force in the last two years, and those who live here notice a difference, though there is room for better laws to rehabilitate and lock up repeat offenders.

Jobs. Tourism is a major employer in Costa Rica and with development come tourists and jobs. Employment in Jacó has increased several times in the last several years from construction to housekeeping to security to landscaping to cooks, etc. English-speaking Ticos are being paid above average and are becoming the new, middle class.

Private donations. The North American tourists who come and stay in the new condominiums in Jacó are very generous. Many bring school supplies and make donations for school uniforms, etc., not to mention the programs (like Serve Safe and others) that are being established to make our community better including investing in our schools and our children.

New park. A beautiful new park was built in the center of Jacó this year (by taxpayer money collected from beachfront developments), which includes gardens (donated by local developers and other businesses), a playground for children and an area for art and music festivals.

Fewer dogs. Thanks to the Mckee Project, Jacó has fewer dogs running wild. In 2005, packs of dogs would run free on the beach and in town. Time and money donations from the community helps this organization keep the dogs spaded and neutered and adopted and off the streets.

Future development needs to be monitored and planned, but not stopped. The fees from new construction along with this future tax base, if channeled and used correctly can continue to make Jacó the example of how popular beach towns should be developed in Costa Rica. Progress has its ups and downs and challenges, but in so many ways, Jacó is a better "community" than in years past and has the opportunity to set the bar for others to follow.

Ken Schaafsma
Oceanside Realty
Jacó

Jaco Beach Costa Rica Has Evolved - Mostly for the better!