Escambrón Unido expresses concern over future of Normandie Hotel redevelopment

A community group is urging the mayor of San Juan to meet with them amid renewed concerns over the future of the historic Normandie Hotel redevelopment and long‑delayed improvements to the Balneario (public beach) El Escambrón and the Sixto Escobar area -- public spaces that residents say have suffered years of neglect.

By THE STAR STAFF

The community collective Escambrón Unido is urging San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo to meet with them amid renewed concerns over the future of the historic Normandie Hotel redevelopment and long‑delayed improvements to the Balneario (public beach) El Escambrón and the Sixto Escobar area -- public spaces that residents say have suffered years of neglect.

In a letter made public this week, the group requested direct and updated information from the municipality, arguing that they have learned more about the project through media reports than through official communication. The call for transparency intensified after news outlets revealed that the San Juan municipality is evaluating a response submitted by the hotel’s developers regarding a September 2025 notice of breach of contract. That notice gave the developers 60 days to demonstrate financial capacity and address delays tied to sports facilities, parking structures and the rehabilitation of the athletic track.

“We found out through the press that the municipality is analyzing the developers’ response, but the users of the balneario still have no direct information,” said spokesperson Gradissa Fernández, noting that local residents have used the beachfront recreational area for more than three decades. “We deserve clarity about what is being planned for this site.”

Zaida Dalmau, another member of the collective, said the community has been waiting since December 2025 for formal access to the developers’ reply. She also recalled that Romero promised them a meeting as far back as October 2022, a commitment she said remains unfulfilled.

“Our interest is to have a dialogue,” Dalmau said. “We want to preserve the Balneario El Escambrón and promote healthy planning for this public space, always seeking good faith understanding with the municipal administration.”

The dispute dates back to November 2024, when Normandie O.Z. LLC -- affiliated with The Ishay Group, which owns the Normandie Hotel project -- submitted a location consultation to the Permits Management Office (OGPe by its acronym in Spanish) proposing construction on public coastal land. With assistance from Inter-American University’s Legal Clinic, Escambrón Unido and nine other intervenors attempted to formally join the review process.

However, in April 2025 OGPe approved the consultation without holding public hearings, without requiring an environmental impact statement, and after modifying the zoning of the recreational park to allow private residential and commercial development. Community groups challenged that decision before the Court of Appeals, but the case was dismissed for lack of standing. The group has since appealed to the Puerto Rico Supreme Court.

“Our concerns regarding environmental impacts and the privatization of public land were never addressed,” the collective said. “So the question remains: who has standing to defend a public balneario if not its own users?”

Escambrón Unido also pointed to the September 2025 breach-of-contract notice issued by Romero as evidence that the administration itself has acknowledged doubts about the developers’ financial liquidity and the delays in promised public works. The notice, the group said, laid bare longstanding concerns the community has raised about the ambitious redevelopment plan.

Given the ongoing uncertainty, the group said a meeting with the mayor is more urgent than ever.

“All we are asking for is transparency,” spokesperson Sonia Palacios said. “We want to know what will happen with these projects and how this coastal space, which belongs to the people, will be protected.”