Bogotá’s ‘G Zone’ under threat

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Residents of Bogotá’s Gastro Zone (Zona G) are more than angered by an insidious scheme by the Mayor of Chapinero, Mauricio Jaramillo, to pedestrianize the area between the Carreras 7 and 5, and Calles 69A and 70.

This arbitrary move in which the representatives of more than 5,000 families residing in the G Zone, Rosales, Emaus, Chapinero and Nueva Granada were not consulted during the preliminary studies, has turned into a bitter struggle involving the democratic right of locals to be heard, and the heavy-handed approach by Jaramillo and former Chapinero Edil of Cambio Radical party, Juliana Márquez.

The struggle dates back to August 2013, when Jaramillo devised a scheme to pump 60% of the total funds allocated to road maintenance in Chapinero, into two blocks, claiming that the “pedestrianization” had the backing of residents.

During a preliminary town hall meeting on this contentious issue, the main participants were just 10 restaurant and bar owners, who could benefit from the pedestrianization project, yet don’t reside in the neighbourhood, nor loose sleep, with the constant noise from illegal bars operating under the guise of “restaurants.”

According to the original minutes of an August 22nd 2013 town hall meeting, those who attended included entrepreneurs, Jorge Rausch of Criterión, Francois Cornellis of La Cigalle, Geronimo Basile, partner of Kong, Magnolio, and N.N., and Juan Sebastián Toro, owner of Valet Parking. Hardly, what one could consider, a broad representation of local residents.

Jaramillo’s now called “Intervention” involves large sums of money: COP $3,600 million (USD $1.4 million) to close two streets and create the equivalent of another ‘T-Zone’. According to residents, the walkway would acerbate the already Gordian gridlock along major streets, which has been made more acute in recent years by hordes of valets of valet park- ing companies.

Then, there’s the issue of illegal parking in the zone, which has become a constant nuisance for both residents and merchants. Add to this cocktail, the informal street vendors, the beggars, and the constant rotation of delivery trucks supplying the restaurants, and you get a community on the verge of nerves and desperation.

The residents of Zona G are clear in not directing their frustration at the legitimate restaurateurs who provide and important service to the neighbourhood. With many coffee shops, bakeries, and excellent restaurants, all abiding by noise regulations (or simply taking it upon themselves to be courteous to the community); Jaramillo’s “intervention” will ultimately attract more bars to the barrio (take the Zona T as an unfortunate example), generating not only even more traffic, but also security concerns relating to alcohol.

For this community, the whole process has been anti-democratic and to say the least, dubious. As the Chapinero Mayor enters his final year in office, he is determined to push through the proposal, despite open criticism, peaceful protests and the rights of residents to have recourse to the law. Residents have petitioned for years with signatures to stop the project, all ignomiously ignored by this democratically-elected official.

Even other local district entities have questioned the wisdom of burying $3,600 million into one block and a half, when many of Chapinero’s 1,233 streets are cracked, crumbling and disappearing into sinkholes. Con- clusions reached by different local government entities deem the project to be “inconvenient,” and have pulled their support. And many of the top restaurateurs are also united against the scheme, as the last thing want in front of their 5-star venues are mazorca roasters and drunkards.

Julio César López Ospina, an ad- visor for the Administrative Department for the Defense of Public Space (DADEP) claims that this project is ex- pensive and low on the list of priorities for the sector. Never mind, the depreciation to property values with the arrival of more noise, traffic and garbage.

The Chapinero Police station commander Lt.Col.Raul Vera, during a public audience on November 25, 2014, said the “G -Zone could become a Zona Rosa if the city’s governing entities don’t follow through with the necessary urban planning.

The gastro-zone has gone through great efforts to be considered an area endorsed by those who appreciate fine dining. As one of the “must do things” for visitors and visiting dignitaries, the G Zone’s “intervention” seems more about imposing a political will through impertinence, than reaching a community engaged consensus as to what should be allowed to operate under the city’s Territorial Ordenance Plan (POT), and should not.

Residents managed to close last year Magnolio, a restaurant which operated a “rumbiadero” on the second floor. And illegally-located bars are extending their hold on the zone, much to the detriment of those who operate with a clean slate.

Last month, residents of Zona G took to the streets to voice their anger over this fast-track plan to bulldoze the public’s right to an opinion and involvement in the so-called “Intervention.” For community leader, Camilo Reales, the protests have validity as “all instances in trying to recover public space have run out.”

According to Reales, those who really benefit from the Mayor’s proposal, are restaurants which have little turn-over. As the average life span of a restaurant is eight months in the Zona G, the pedestrianization “would generate a convergence of persons to the zone, which could help restaurants which haven’t been able to bring in clients.” For Reales, this generates a “false demand,” while at the same time, putting the public space at risk. The Chapinero Mayor insists, however, that he has played by the rules.

If in the weeks ahead, Jaramillo, manages to push through his project and just in time before the Law of Guarantees takes effect, in which public officials can no longer sign contractual agreements due to a general election, the G Zone may be relegated to the dust bin of gastronomic entreprises, losing its charm to chaos, and worse yet, the official sanction that illegality, ultimately, pays.

If you live Rosales and want to get involved, residents have set up a united front with social media:

zonag@mequedoenbogota.org

Facebook.com/residentezonag

Twitter: @amigoszonag

 

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