Settlement could allow last San Mateo de Cangrejo resident to avoid expropriation

By THE STAR STAFF

The long‑running dispute over the last standing residence in the San Mateo de Cangrejos neighborhood of Santurce may be nearing a turning point, as attorneys for Laura Lasanta Rivera and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice confirmed they are reviewing a preliminary agreement that could settle the case after years of legal uncertainty, according to published reports.

Following a status hearing in the San Juan Judicial Center this week, Alicia Díaz Santiago, Lasanta’s attorney and legal director of the Center for Habitat Reconstruction, said that months of conversations have opened the door to a potential resolution acceptable to both sides. While the government requested confidentiality regarding the proposal’s details, she acknowledged that the concept of a usufruct is part of the discussions. Usufruct is a legal right that lets you use and enjoy a property that belongs to someone else. You can live in a house or collect rent money from it, but you do not own it. In this case, Lasanta owns the house.

Díaz Santiago described the current stage as the closest the parties have come to a mutually acceptable outcome. Lasanta, meanwhile, reiterated her commitment to remain in the home she purchased with her father in the 1990s, emphasizing that she intends to stay there permanently.

The property’s history is intertwined with the government’s redevelopment plans for Santurce. In 2003, under the Santurce Rehabilitation Act of 1988, the state moved to expropriate and demolish the homes in San Mateo de Cangrejos to make way for green spaces and an urban park connecting Ciudadela with the Puerto Rico Museum of Art. Lasanta’s home survived the demolition phase due to community resistance and the medical needs of her relatives, whose limited mobility prevented the state from carrying out an eviction.

The case remained in limbo for years, particularly after the 2016 federal Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, or PROMESA, halted litigation against the government. During that pause, Lasanta’s relatives passed away, leaving her as the sole resident of the former neighborhood. In 2023, the Housing Financing Authority informed her in writing that it would not pursue eviction while she lived in the home, yet the case continued without a final settlement.

However, this past February government attorneys asked the court to authorize Lasanta’s eviction, arguing that they were seeking alternative housing for the 67-year-old educator.  Lasanta does not drive and relies on Santurce’s walkable access to essential services.

With negotiations now underway, the parties appear to be exploring a path that could finally close one of Puerto Rico’s most emblematic property disputes and determine the future of the last remaining home in a once‑vibrant community.