The Los Cabos City Council has pledged to tightly regulate new tourism development in La Ribera, a coastal community about 65 miles northeast of Cabo San Lucas. The pledge comes as SEMARNAT, Mexico’s federal environment ministry, conducts a public consultation through June 12 on a proposed $50 million resort called Punta Colorada. The project would bring 222 residential lots and a boutique hotel to the East Cape corridor, pushing luxury development farther north than ever within the municipality.
Alberto Rentería, secretary general of the Los Cabos City Council, said all permits at the municipal, state, and federal level must be secured before any developer can break ground. “Before removing a single stone,” Rentería said, “all legal and environmental requirements must be met.” He confirmed that the city’s Urban Development and Ecology departments have been instructed to monitor compliance at every stage.
La Ribera’s Growth From Fishing Village to Investment Hotspot
La Ribera sits along the Sea of Cortez between the Sierra de la Laguna mountains and a stretch of coastline known for world-class sport fishing. For decades, the community of roughly 3,000 residents operated primarily around fishing, small-scale agriculture, and a modest flow of adventure tourists. The area’s unpaved roads and limited infrastructure kept large developers at bay.
That began to change around 2018 and 2019, when improved road access from San José del Cabo and rising land prices in the Cabo corridor pushed investors to look north. The East Cape, which runs roughly from San José del Cabo to the town of Los Barriles and beyond, has since attracted a wave of boutique hotels, surf camps, and residential projects. The Four Seasons Resort at Costa Palmas, located about 15 miles north of La Ribera near Los Barriles, opened in 2019 with 141 rooms and a Robert Trent Jones II golf course. That single project helped rebrand the East Cape as a luxury destination.
Land prices along the corridor have followed. Parcels near La Ribera that sold for $20 to $30 per square meter a decade ago now list for $80 to $150 per square meter or more, depending on proximity to the coast. Several smaller developments with 20 to 50 lots have broken ground in the past three years, though not all have secured the full range of permits before starting work.
Punta Colorada Environmental Review Open Until June 12
The Punta Colorada project is now undergoing a Manifestación de Impacto Ambiental, or environmental impact assessment, through SEMARNAT. This review is a federal requirement for any tourism or residential project that could affect protected ecosystems, water resources, or coastal zones. SEMARNAT opened its public consultation period on May 18, and it closes on June 12, 2026.
During this window, any member of the public can submit written comments or objections to SEMARNAT’s Baja California Sur delegation. The submissions become part of the administrative record that SEMARNAT reviews before issuing or denying an environmental authorization. Comments can be submitted in person at SEMARNAT’s La Paz offices on Calle Melchor Ocampo or through the federal government’s environmental impact portal online.
If SEMARNAT grants the environmental permit, the developer must still obtain a municipal construction license from the Los Cabos Urban Development Department and a state land-use compatibility certificate. Rentería’s comments suggest the city council intends to scrutinize each of those steps. “Construction permits are where municipal authority comes into play,” he said.
What Tighter Enforcement Means for Buyers and Small Developers
The council’s stance carries practical weight for anyone buying property or building in the East Cape. In Los Cabos, municipal construction permits require proof of federal environmental clearance and state land-use authorization. When those upstream permits are delayed or denied, the entire project timeline stalls. Buyers who put money down on pre-sale lots in projects that lack full permitting face the risk of indefinite construction delays.
Small developers operating along the La Ribera coast should also expect more frequent inspections. The city’s Ecology Department has the authority to halt construction if a project lacks proper documentation or exceeds the scope of its approved permits. In 2024, Los Cabos officials shut down at least two construction sites in the East Cape area for permit violations, according to municipal records.
For those already holding property in La Ribera, the increased regulatory attention could stabilize the area’s growth. Unchecked development risks straining La Ribera’s limited water supply, which depends on a local aquifer already classified as under pressure by CONAGUA, Mexico’s national water commission.
The SEMARNAT public comment period for Punta Colorada closes on June 12, 2026. The city council has not announced a timeline for its own permit review. The original report was published by a Cabo-based English-language outlet on June 2.