SANTO DOMINGO.- Cabarete’s natural sailing conditions attract many windsurf, kiteboarding and laser sailors, though the threat of future high-rises pose a threat to the community's dynamic tourism-based economy.

"The community of Cabarete is about to kill the goose that lays the golden egg if it continues to tolerate high-rise condos," said the architect Omar Bros of the Dominican Sailing Federation.

The sailing expert warns that the planned condos can create "nightmarish" wind tunnels and downstream turbulence that will affect the smooth wind patterns that have made the area the world Mecca for windsurf, kite boarding and Laser sailors that it is today.

Cabarete community groups highlight the fact that there are hundreds of islands in the Caribbean with beaches, but Cabarete’s success is based on people coming for its winds and enjoy the multicolor spectacle of dozens of sails in the ocean and air. "The sea views and active sporting atmosphere would not be the same once the sailors go elsewhere, if conditions were changed by the high rises planned for the area."

The community warns of the possible consequences that more four-story buildings would have on Cabarete’s ecosystem. Several have already been built, despite zoning rules in the north coast that limit construction to three floors. Other high-rise condos are planned for the Cabarete area.

Thermal winds in Cabarete are created by the temperature difference between land and sea. Bare land cools quickly at nighttime, while cement buildings conserve the heat well into the night. The less cement, the less heat, and therefore more natural wind flow.

The boom in the construction of seafront condos over three floors high and real estate speculation are not compatible with the sustainable and long-term development of this community that is the pride and joy of Puerto Plata province due to its attractiveness to domestic and international tourism.

The new proposed density for high rises is also a matter of concern because of the limited ability of the Cabarete lagoon to handle the waste that would be generated by the new occupants. There is also concern that the beach sands could be eroded due to disruption in the wind flow, which could cause Cabarete to lose its entire beach. 

The third concern is that the increase in density would generate even more traffic on the only road that runs through Cabarete as traffic moves east from Puerto Plata or west from Samana.

A petition has been submitted to the Ministry of Environment to study the effect of the high rises on the ecology and to evaluate the consequences of continuing to allow these constructions, despite the ban that exists in the zoning law for the north coast.