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La Pueblita replacement


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27 minutes ago, mexijims1 said:

Send people to San Miguel Allende.   l am tired of AMAR and Focus on Mexico hyping Ajijjic for retirees from the north.  We are just too crowded for more and no possiblity of infrastructure changes to improve traffic, IMO !  

I lived in SMA for 3 years.  Terrible traffic even then!

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1 hour ago, Mainecoons said:

Unfortunately just about anywhere you go from here you are giving up this amazing climate.  The beaches are all hot as heck for much of the year and the mountains get chilly.  

Such a large city, but WOW! on the climate comparison:

https://weatherspark.com/compare/y/3878~4637/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Chapala-and-León-de-los-Aldama

 

 

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In the early 2000'sthere was a lot written about San Miguel de Allende and it's water situation so, after living there for nine years, we left in 2005 and moved to the coast. Moved back inland in 2011. Guess what? San Miguel is at least four times as big and they are still chanting about water shortage. Sit tight because this IS the best climate. Just time your need to be out and about before 10:30 and especially on weekends. 

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2 hours ago, Mainecoons said:

Big, rather ugly industrial city.  I suspect this data comparison is actually from airport data and more of a comparison between GDL and here.

That would be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

 

I remember when I was coming to Mexico in 1997, lookin' for a place to settle and I read a Mexico travel book: "the State of Guanajuato is home to the most beautiful city in all of Mexico, and also the ugliest. Guanajuato and Leon." :D

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If you think the traffic here is horrendous just try and imagine a traffic jam in the underground tunnels of Guanajuato. I got claustrophobic at the time and still do just thinking about it... sitting there with bumper to bumper traffic and sucking in all the fumes... compared to sitting in a traffic jam here on the carretera with all of its magnificent trees lining the street. No brainer to me.

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28 minutes ago, Ferret said:

If you think the traffic here is horrendous just try and imagine a traffic jam in the underground tunnels of Guanajuato. I got claustrophobic at the time and still do just thinking about it... sitting there with bumper to bumper traffic and sucking in all the fumes... compared to sitting in a traffic jam here on the carretera with all of its magnificent trees lining the street. No brainer to me.

Ferret with respect why go wondering off and talking about Guanajuato,we have enough troubles of our own to fix. There's enough blame to go around.Sadly "WE" contribute to the problem, driving those large SUVs, single occupancy etc. Frankly there are too many of us 

 

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On 4/29/2023 at 4:15 PM, lakeside7 said:

With all the discussion going on about the pros and cons of living at Lakeside, bad inferstrure, water shortage, congestion, lack of public services, etc etc, I would see the many negative observations as signs to "move" on... But where to?or are all this cons perceptions? Is the sky falling in?

The complaints are perpetual, and a well-worn hobby of those who come here, then want the door closed behind them. We started researching the area about 15 years ago and I swear all the complaints going around now (Pueblita, traffic, growth, infrastructure, etc) were around when we started looking, but with different names and danger levels. Does anybody remember when Walmart going in was going to be the death of Lakeside? The sky was falling then, too. 

Things change. If we had settled someplace in the US instead of here, that place would probably have changed and our reasons for selecting that spot might have been compromised. Certainly some of the issues we're seeing Lakeside weren't around or were less severe when we moved here (I remember timing our drive from home in West Ajijic to Walmart... it took 7 minutes with light traffic). Are we going to move away because it takes longer to drive through town, or because of the other reasons listed above? Probably not. At least, not yet. 

There were various reasons we chose to move here instead of somewhere else, and many of those still apply. The climate is still awesome and we're continuously amazed that we're able to live comfortably in a house without HVAC. There is still a "small town" feel to the area, where we frequently run into people we know and develop great relationships with small vendors and shop/restaurant owners. Overall, the local population and most of the expats are pleasant and enjoyable to be around (and we try to add our own positive energy to the mix, to keep that going). There are fabulous cultural activities, celebrations, and wonderful art everywhere. We're a mountain range away, but still close enough to get to an international airport and large city when we need those things. We have enough dining options that we could eat at a different place every day of the year and not have to repeat. There are great resources for foreigners living in an unfamiliar land... LCS, American Legion, helpful expat population, local businesses that make the effort to cater to expats and English speakers. Good medical care can be had at a reasonable cost. And affordable living, overall, compared to where we moved from in the US. Yes, the cost of living has gone up recently compared to what it was in recent years, but it's still lower than when we were first researching a move here (when it was only 12-13 pesos to the dollar).

Some of the changes happening have been positive. We complain about Internet outages, but that's partly because we've come to rely on Internet access now that several options exist for high-speed connectivity (compared to when I got here and Telmex slow-speed was the ONLY game in town, if you were lucky enough to get Telmex service at all since they ran out of phone numbers for new homes). People moan about Walmart, but it still serves lots of customers and provides a helpful one-stop, familiar shopping experience for newcomers who haven't yet developed a network of smaller vendors for their needs. So many people whined about the construction to put in a bike path, but look at how useful it is now, and how many people are riding bikes along there on any given day, including a huge number of eBike users (and shops). When we elected to live in West Ajijic, people wagged their fingers and told us we'd regret the decision because it was "so far away" from everything. Now we have great restaurants, shopping, gas stations, and resources that let us stay on this side of town if traffic is heavy, or if we prefer to walk/bike to something. Efforts to conserve the lake have helped reduce water usage and maintain a more usable lakefront, compared to several years when it was dry at the malecons and the shoreline was a hike, if you even wanted to bother. This is just a partial list, and I suspect some people might prefer to look at the negative side to anything I mentioned, but there ARE positives to growth and change... if you want to find it.

That doesn't mean we don't have challenges if we choose to live here. Infrastructure is lagging behind other development and needs to be addressed... it seems they elect to buy a cart before having a horse sometimes. Traffic during busy times of the year is becoming somewhat annoying, although it still takes less time to drive from West Ajijic to Chapala than it did for my daily work commute in the US (and the scenery along the way is much better!). We may consider getting eBikes to simplify some of our trips since we have a safe path for them now. I feel badly for those who have water problems, although we haven't experienced the problem ourselves. I hope people will learn to conserve water and adjust usage to make the best of what we have available, and maybe government will consider putting some restrictions on heavy use, such as new pools. Meanwhile, we don't consider the problems to be severe enough that they outweigh the positives of living Lakeside. We'll continue to monitor the situation and see where the future takes us.

As for La Pueblita/Margaritaville... The original developers had a good basic idea, I think (including the settling pond to help handle wastewater). They obviously had some money and weight behind them to start, considering how far they got in the construction process. It would have been nice to have a continuing care facility here for the aging population, along with shops, doctors, and resources to service them. It's too bad that initial plan didn't work out as we might have considered a move there ourselves when we needed the care. However, since the project came to a halt with construction incomplete, I'm (personally) glad that another company has picked up the reins and will move it along to a functional housing and retail development instead of letting it rot as a raw concrete eyesore. I'm also happy that people who invested to buy property there might get something for their money eventually. How much more of a burden on resources it will be remains to be seen, but I doubt this will be the straw that breaks the burro's back in terms of us deciding to stay or move away.  And I can guarantee that another 10 years from now will see continued development along Lakeside, as well as spread south of Joco, east of Chapala, and north toward Guad. Hopefully those in charge will wake up to the need for upgraded and expanded infrastructure so the community remains viable. Hopefully the development and increase in value of properties won't price locals out of being able to live amongst us (a greater concern for me). And hopefully those who decide to move away find someplace they consider more pleasant and liveable... keep us posted about where you end up!

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From what I have read, the sad part about the future of La Pueblita is that is more likely to be a senior living community without the benefits of assisted living, memory care unit, etc. which seemed so appealing because there is such a great need here for both.  Again, the "new" La Pueblita is unlikely to provide the necessary amenities for those who need them as we age. 

Not being able to fulfill that need for such amenities is unforunate, as well as for all the people who had put money down on the place ( I know several) and the return of that money is in limbo. 

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18 hours ago, mexijims1 said:

From what I have read, the sad part about the future of La Pueblita is that is more likely to be a senior living community without the benefits of assisted living, memory care unit, etc. which seemed so appealing because there is such a great need here for both.  Again, the "new" La Pueblita is unlikely to provide the necessary amenities for those who need them as we age. 

Not being able to fulfill that need for such amenities is unforunate, as well as for all the people who had put money down on the place ( I know several) and the return of that money is in limbo. 

As one of us is over 80 and the other darned close we were definitely interested in it for this possibility.  The original developers had the right idea, just not enough dinero to carry it out.  There has to be a market here for "age in place" housing.

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1 minute ago, ibarra said:

Translation

Thanks. I can read it, and as a Googler am more than familiar with Google Translate. It doesn't say how many units were planned for La Pueblita.

I'm also curious to know how many La Pueblita units were completed and occupied. Their materials are sales-oriented and out-dated, and don't get around to specifics. Is there a reason to they intended many fewer than 194 units?

LQ

 

 

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Mainecoons. I can tell you there were a lot of people who had left money on the table for La Pueblita ( with advance deposits) and not sure if they will ever see any of it.

Their concept looked good on paper and enticed enough people to put money into it.

As usual, it is buyer beware and then some with Mexican developers.

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  • 1 month later...

I am glad the see the Buffet brand to pick this up. As a former resident of the area for 22 years this is great. What I have found does not matter where you live (even where I live now) there are always infrastructure problems. Pot holes, poo on the sidewalks, etc gives Mexico its charm. 

The biggest problem is traffic. My old mind does not see a fix. That was one of the biggest reasons  I moved, plus a little domestic stuff also. With this development a tram or moto-taxi or some kind of transportation for the residents would help. Take the lower scenic roads to War-Mart and other places. 

I bet I would make a great manager. Ha!

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We LOVE it here too 🇲🇽 and coming up on 3 years full time.

Human nature says to shut the door behind you and only tell your closest freinds about our little paradise, BUT it was thanks to many of you over the years - reading your posts from afar - that convinced us to give Mexico and Chapala/Ajijic a try... and we're sure glad you did

 

Now, to San Carlos.... I still receive a weekly newsletter from San Carlos that was on our "short list" of about 15 places in MX, even though we have never been. Take a look here... https://mailchi.mp/whatsupsancarlos/newsletter-nov28-390668?e=84199735e6

Buena suerte!

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20 minutes ago, vetteforron said:

I am glad the see the Buffet brand to pick this up. As a former resident of the area for 22 years this is great. What I have found does not matter where you live (even where I live now) there are always infrastructure problems. Pot holes, poo on the sidewalks, etc gives Mexico its charm. 

The biggest problem is traffic. My old mind does not see a fix. That was one of the biggest reasons  I moved, plus a little domestic stuff also. With this development a tram or moto-taxi or some kind of transportation for the residents would help. Take the lower scenic roads to War-Mart and other places. 

I bet I would make a great manager. Ha!

They probably could not afford you Ron, unless you will work for Pesos 

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