Res 0494-2026

Res. No. 494 ..Title Resolution standing with the people of Puerto Rico to stop the construction of Project Esencia, a luxury development in Cabo Rojo ..Body By Council Members Avil�s, Cab�n, De La Rosa, Marte, Far�as, Louis and Aldebol Whereas, Project Esencia is a planned $2 billion luxury hotel and residential development at Boquer�n Bay, Cabo Rojo, on Puerto Rico's southwestern coast; and Whereas, Anchored by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Aman Group, and Rosewood Hotels and Resorts and being developed by Reuben Brothers and Three Rules Capital, two international real estate firms, Project Esencia will cover over 2,000 acres and three miles of beaches and will include over 500 hotel rooms and 1,000 residences plus a private airport, golf courses, spas, health clubs, shops, an equestrian center, and a private school; and Whereas, The proposed site is rural land of ecological importance, located between two nature reserves and serving as the habitat of endangered birds, such as the Puerto Rican guabairo or nightjar, the Antrostomus noctitherus; a rare lizard species, the Ariolis poncensis; and an endangered lily species, Catesbaea melanocarpa; and Whereas, The proposed site also contains at least 24 pre-colonial and colonial archaeological sites, many of which have not yet been excavated; and Whereas, If built, Project Esencia could put excessive strain on the local water supply and would risk harming oyster beds and disrupting the flow of both fresh water and salt water through the wetlands on the site; and Whereas, If built, Project Esencia's major construction projects could cause extreme erosion of the land as well as landslides; and Whereas, Local protesters in Puerto Rico, often using the slogan Esencia no va ("Esencia won't go ahead"), have packed official hearings, taken to the streets of Cabo Rojo, and flooded social media accounts to voice their concerns about the negative environmental impacts, the unwanted privatization of public beaches, and the harmful gentrification that Project Esencia would bring to Cabo Rojo; and Whereas, On March 28, 2026, the Pa' la calle contra Esencia ("Take to the streets against Esencia") national march and demonstration in San Juan was organized by Defiende a Cabo Rojo, a community-based coalition of scientific and cultural groups, and was attended by over 50,000 protesters, who repeated Cabo Rojo no se vende ("Cabo Rojo is not for sale") as they marched and danced to percussion, singing, and call-and-response chanting; and Whereas, Speaking in front of the Capitol in San Juan, Francisco Varga Alc�ntara of the Comit� por la Verdadera Esencia del Suroeste noted that "this fight goes beyond environmental groups" and that "there are economic, housing, and social considerations involved, and we would be harmed by this project"; and Whereas, Local protesters in Puerto Rico have earned the support of individuals and pro-independence groups in the Puerto Rican diaspora, including in New York City (NYC), such as the Bori Collective, Juventud Unida por la Independencia, Diaspora Pa'lante Collective, Victory in Puerto Rico, Adolfina, and Friends of Puerto Rico Impact; and Whereas, Protests against Project Esencia were held in NYC in the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and in the Columbus Circle shopping complex in April 2025 and outside the offices of JPMorganChase in midtown Manhattan on March 27, 2026, to demand that JPMorganChase end its financial support of Project Esencia; and Whereas, According to the United States (U.S.) Census Bureau's American Community Survey's 2019-2023 five-year estimates, NYC has a population of about 605,000 people who identify as Puerto Rican (alone or in combination), which is about 7 percent of NYC's total population; and Whereas, Puerto Rico's history as one of the world's oldest colonies makes it even more important that it not become the object of outside developers who might not be working in the best interests of Puerto Rico; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York stands with the people of Puerto Rico to stop the construction of Project Esencia, a luxury development in Cabo Rojo. LS #22642 5/14/2026 RHP 3