The president of COMICE (Empresas Mexicanas de la Industria de la Construcción de Ensenada), Enrique Sánchez, announced that the construction industry group will take a direct role in municipal infrastructure projects. The commitment came after a meeting with Ensenada Mayor Claudia Agatón Muñiz and the city’s director of Municipal Infrastructure.
COMICE, which represents construction companies across the Ensenada municipality, will focus on four priority areas: road paving, urban equipment, hydraulic infrastructure, and urban growth planning. The partnership formalizes private-sector involvement in projects the city has struggled to fund and execute on its own.
Road Paving and Water Systems Top the Agenda
Ensenada’s unpaved roads and aging water systems have long been sore points for residents, including the large expat and retiree communities in neighborhoods along the coast and in the hills east of downtown. Paving projects and hydraulic infrastructure, which includes water supply and drainage systems, are among the most urgent needs Sánchez identified.
Urban equipment, a term covering public facilities like parks, markets, streetlights, and sidewalks, is also on the list. The fourth focus area, urban growth planning, addresses how the city manages its rapid expansion into new residential and commercial zones on its outskirts.
COMICE’s Growing Role in Ensenada Development
The announcement comes at a time of broader ambition for Ensenada’s construction sector. Earlier this year, COMICE unveiled plans for “Ciudad Jatay,” a 1,000-hectare development that would include an industrial park, a technology park, housing, and services over the next five to ten years. The Ensenada Business Coordinating Council has also outlined more than $300 million USD (approximately 5.74 billion pesos) in planned public works spending to attract nearshoring investment in electronics, biotechnology, and green energy.
Ensenada’s population has grown steadily in recent years, putting pressure on infrastructure that was already behind demand. Many colonias on the city’s periphery lack paved streets, reliable water service, or basic public amenities. The municipality’s limited budget has meant slow progress on these fronts, which is why the formal involvement of an organized industry group like COMICE could make a practical difference in project delivery timelines.
No specific budget figures or project timelines were announced at the meeting. The collaboration between COMICE and city hall is expected to produce more detailed plans in the coming weeks.
This story was first reported by Ensenada.net.