heritage

Casco Viejo board proposed

A draft for a bill to create a board of trustees in Casco Viejo that would be in charge of enticing real estate investors with incentives and creating a buffer zone for the historical area was presented to the Comisión de Vivienda of the Asamblea Nacional by Ariel Espino, director of the Oficina del Casco Antiguo (OCA).

Espino explained that the OCA, which is about to expire as an agency, would be replaced by the board that would continue to provide incentives to investors, manage the State-owned properties in the area, monitor and enforce fines on owners who abandon their property and promote tourism.

According to the OCA director, the focus of the bill is the creation of a buffer zone for Casco Viejo, in compliance with the recommendations of UNESCO aimed at preventing the kind of urban growth that could spoil the cultural heritage of one of Panama City’s most historic center.

During Espino’s introduction of the bill, Aida de Sansón, spokeswoman for the Asociación de Corredores de Bienes Raíces, said that such a board has yielded results in preservation efforts in Panamá Viejo, but said that Casco Viejo represented a very different situation.

Opponents to the bill have also criticized the ban on buildings over a certain height, which they say limits development opportunities.