The neighborhood community of the Cruz neighborhood in Granada has called an urgent meeting to express their rejection of including a municipal plot, located on Luis Miranda Dávalos street, in the plan for the first municipal park of affordable rental housing. Residents argue that this decision was made without prior consultation and signifies the loss of a vital space for the neighborhood.
This situation echoes previous controversies in other city neighborhoods, such as Parque Lagos, where residents also demonstrated against the construction of affordable housing on plots designated for facilities. In that instance, an agreement was reached to allocate the space for sports uses and a senior center.
Ramón Reyes, president of the Neighborhood Association of the Cruz neighborhood, emphasizes the plot's importance as a future community facility, suggesting uses like a center for seniors, youth, or even a public swimming pool, given the saturation of existing facilities. Reyes clarifies that they do not oppose affordable housing but point to the availability of other nearby land suitable for its construction.
Discontent also centers on how the City Council has managed the process, failing to consult residents before including the plot in the Junta's plan. According to Reyes, approximately 400 people have already expressed their disagreement, and measures are being considered, despite a meeting held with the Urban Planning councilor.
The Granada City Council is promoting this project, which includes the construction of 565 homes on five municipal plots that had been undeveloped for 25 years. The initiative is part of a regional plan to dedicate unused municipal land to affordable rental housing, with land concessions to private developers for 40 to 50 years, ensuring the homes will not become market-rate housing.
The five selected plots are located on Avenida Luis Miranda Dávalos (73 homes), Santiago Rusiñol (200), Francisco Ayala (118), Barbo (164), and Plaza de San Gregorio (10), totaling over 11,000 square meters of public land. The plot on Avenida Luis Miranda Dávalos, spanning 2,039 square meters, is the one generating the current controversy.




