With a budget of 350 million pesos, Meridá’s Calle 47 in Centro is poised to become the city’s hottest area for eating out.
The project spearheaded by City Hall involves turning the already restaurant-rich street into a full-blown gastronomic corridor.
The yet-to-be-retooled street is planned to feature a single lane of traffic, a bike path, and a sidewalk. But concept renderings released to the public are inconsistent.
Other changes also include the revamping of the area’s chaotic electrical infrastructure, which will be entirely underground.
Major works are also planned to connect Calle 47 with Santa Ana park to the west and the under-construction Parque La Plancha to the east.
But residents living on Calle 47 complain that this new project will leave them with absolutely no street parking and unacceptable levels of noise.
Like most streets and neighborhoods in Mérida’s Centro, Calle 47 is home mostly to senior citizens, most of whom have lived in the same place for decades.
“They came around and asked us what we thought of the project. Honestly, I was quite worried they would not like what I had to say but spoke up anyway. But it’s not like it mattered, they are going to do what they want regardless of how people who actually live here feel,” said a local resident in his late 70s who wished to remain anonymous.
Earlier: La Plancha park project moves forward with a huge budget
There are also concerns regarding parking, as restaurants in the area already primarily rely on valet parking services, which are themselves having an increasingly difficult time finding spots for everyone.
On Feb. 8, Yucatán Magazine attended a meeting to hear out the Centro’s international community regarding the project.
During the meeting, international residents living in and around Calle 47 expressed concerns regarding issues ranging from garbage pickup, social justice, and the potential abandonment of the project once the current government leaves office.
Plans to revamp Calle 47 and its surrounding area have also reignited the debate surrounding the controversial Monument to the Montejo on the Remate.
Those defending the statues argued that the Montejos are part of Yucatán’s history. But the statues only went up in 2010 and the plan further honors these conquistadors while so many homages to their name already exist in the city and their legacy is increasingly scrutinized.
The monument has also been the target of vandalism on several occasions by feminist groups who regard its presence as offensive.
