Puerto Rico House tourism panel hears Cataño mayor’s pitch to designate waterfront a gastronomic tourism zone

The House of Representatives’ Tourism Commission on Oct. 26 heard extended testimony from Cataño Mayor Julio Alicea Vasallo in support of Proyecto de la Cámara 3-35, a measure to formally designate the municipality’s waterfront — including the Malecón Edwin Rivera Sierra — as a “zona de turismo gastronómico” and to direct the Puerto Rico Tourism Company to develop marketing, promotion and regulatory support for the area.

Why it matters: The designation would give the Tourism Company a statutory mandate to include Cataño’s waterfront in official marketing and promotion and could help channel public and private investment into infrastructure and events in the area.

Mayor Julio Alicea Vasallo told the commission the waterfront is already functioning as a tourism and gastronomy hub and that the bill would “ponerle nombre y dirección” to a transformation the municipality has pursued. He described the sample area in the bill as roughly 2.5 miles of waterfront that includes children’s water features, playgrounds, artisan vendors, kiosks and public-rest areas; he said the area is monitored by a camera system tied to the municipal security headquarters and will be integrated with other agencies. “Este frente marítimo es 1 de los lugares más seguros que tiene Puerto Rico,” the mayor said.

Alicea Vasallo gave several concrete figures and projects during his remarks: he said the proposed zone currently includes more than 25 businesses (mostly restaurants); that a residential complex dubbed “Bahía Partment” is under construction with “more than 100 apartments” and an estimated cost of $43,000,000; that the municipality’s current budget has grown to about $45 million from prior years; and that the municipality is preparing a $15 million second phase for the Parque de la Esperanza reconstruction. He also said the municipality expects to build about 500 new parking spaces over time by converting long-abandoned lots and other sites, and that the municipality is acquiring two aerial drones to support waterfront security.

Alicea Vasallo and members of the commission cited two municipal ordinances referenced by the mayor: Ordinance No. 16, Serie 24-25 (which sets a 3 a.m. closing hour on weekends for certain businesses in the area) and Ordinance No. 6, Serie 23 (which restricts unnecessary noise). Both ordinances were discussed by the mayor as local tools to manage nightlife and preserve a family-friendly environment in the waterfront area.

The mayor also described private-sector partnerships and cultural events he said drive visitation: he told the commission that weekend attendance can reach “more than 6,500 people” and that restaurants and festivals (including a Bacardí fair) generate significant local economic activity. He said the municipality hopes to recover six ferry-terminal concessions for commercial use, and described ongoing talks about bringing a large Columbus statue back to Cataño as part of a wider waterfront development that, he said, could draw cruise-ship visits in the future.

Commission members responded with supportive questions about infrastructure, incentives and resident input. Representative Sergio Estévez and Representative Ángel Morey praised the municipality’s work and asked about incentives for small businesses, parking capacity and project timelines. The mayor said the Parque de la Esperanza reconstruction was due for delivery in mid-2026 and estimated that full redevelopment of the casco (town center) could take roughly a year to a year and a half under ideal permitting conditions.

Actions and next steps recorded at the hearing: the Puerto Rico Tourism Company was excused from attending and told commissioners it will submit a written opinion on the bill; the commission said it will share that written opinion with members. No formal vote on Proyecto de la Cámara 3-35 was taken during the session. The commission also discussed conducting a future on-site inspection (vista ocular) to review the area the bill would cover. The session closed at 10:28 a.m.

The hearing record shows members emphasized balancing tourism growth with resident input: commissioners and the mayor said design and traffic solutions will incorporate local feedback and that specific mitigation measures (for example, replacement parking during plaza reconstruction) are being planned.

No formal commitments of central-government financing were recorded during the hearing; the mayor described ongoing funding applications and private investments but the commission did not adopt funding legislation during the session.