To elaborate the new zoning, studies were conducted on land use, infrastructure, physical and socioeconomic aspects, and growth trends (lot size, type of structure, predominant uses, etc.).
A set of plans graphically showing these studies remains with both the Urban Planning Directorate and the Municipality.
The new zoning reflects the changes that have occurred in the urban area since 1970, the date on which the first Zoning Regulations were implemented, which are replaced by these, which were approved in municipal session No. [blank] and published in La Gaceta No. 67 of April 17, 1993.
Scope [II] Statement of reasons The city is shaped by the people who inhabit it and imprint their character upon it, making it ever-changing.
When preparing a Regulatory Plan, the urban planner, with a group of technicians, studies the trends, projects, and programs, and derives possible corrective or indicative actions from them, with the intention of foreseeing a better and more orderly city for the future.
In this endeavor, the plan can better fulfill the goals and objectives that were set.
Over the last ten years, Limón has suffered several impacts, which, although foreseen, have modified growth trends to such an extent that it is necessary to propose a new zoning that replaces the current one; among these, the following should be considered:
1. The new road to Limón. 2. The port works and the freezing of areas for this use; 3. The installations of Recope; 4. The action of Japdeva in the region; 5. The opening of the new road to Sixaola; 6. The condition of the canals; 7. And urban development in geographic areas not suitable for that urban use.
-Uses. For the purpose of regulating the uses of each zone, these [...] It should be clarified that, furthermore, in the free play of cities, even when there are norms regulating zoning, changes always occur, especially in peripheral zones. As the city grows, its limits change, and therefore uses are modified (commercial, industrial, and residential areas), originating zones of mixed use, to the detriment of the agricultural or forest cover (cobertura boscosa) areas that surround it, and urban use even occupying completely inadequate marginal lands, as has been the case in Limón. In this free play, the need to reserve adequate spaces for communal uses is also forgotten, which harms community life.
This new zoning aims to correct errors and modify or accentuate trends, adapting the city so that it can fulfill the role of the Country on the Atlantic Coast.
Zoning Objectives The zoning aims to promote orderly growth that protects public health, safety, tranquility, comfort, convenience, and the general well-being of the population through:
1- The definition of land uses according to the physical and socioeconomic characteristics of the city. 2- The establishment of harmonious relationships between land uses. 3- The rational and orderly use of investments. 4- The regulation of lot sizes, setbacks (retiros), coverage (coberturas), floor areas (áreas de piso), and other regulations, which consequently leads to the stabilization of land prices. 5- Preventing growth in zones considered premature because they lack infrastructure services and, therefore, promoting growth in those areas considered suitable, thereby contributing to economies in services. 6- Promoting the concentration of compatible urban uses while separating those that are incompatible. 7- Facilitating the community's purchase of adequate land for community uses through the reservation thereof.
Scopes of application The zoning plan covers the entire area suitable for Urban Development in Limón. In it, the zones intended for each use and the limits that constitute them are demarcated.
Given that this territory is reduced due to topographic characteristics and the restrictions imposed on it by the airport and port use, the zoning is indicated for all suitable land, working under the hypothesis of saturation, even though this may not occur for many years, as this allows greater flexibility in the play of the land market.
As long as the areas are not used for what they are zoned for, they may remain agricultural.
The area of application of these Zoning Regulations is divided into the following zones:
Z.R. Residential Zone (B, Low; M, Medium; A, High) Z.C.R. Commercial Residential Zone Z.C.L. Local Commercial Zone Z.C.C. Central Commercial Zone Z.H. Hotel Zone Z.I. Industrial Zone Z.P.F. Forest Protection Zone (Zona Protección Forestal) Z.P.I. Institutional Public Zone Z.P. Port Zone Z.R.E. Recreational Zone Z.E. Special Zone Z.A.P. Port Support Zone (Zona de Apoyo Portuario) Z.F.D. Future Development Zone Z.I.N. Flood Zone (Zona Inundable) Z.S.T. Tourism Service Zone (Zona Servicio Turístico) Z.P.R. Protection Zone for Rivers and Streams (Zona de Protección de Ríos y Quebradas) [II-] Limit between zones: They are generally determined by topographical features, clearly identifiable such as rivers, lagoons, estuaries, sharp slope changes, or by constructed elements such as streets.
Where they are not demarcated as such, they shall be determined by scale on the maps, and in case of doubt, the Urban Planning Directorate may determine it on-site through studies based on the submitted cadastral plans.
Application of norms between zones: When a lot falls between two or more zones, meaning its limit affects it by having part in one zone and part in another, the regulations for the lot shall apply up to a distance of 50 meters from the respective limit, with it being at the discretion of the Municipality and the Urban Planning Directorate to extend the scope of application of the norms further if the size of the lot and the mixed characteristics of the zone warrant the extension.