Tijuana’s municipal government is refusing to share construction permits for a massive coastal development in Playas de Tijuana, despite the mayor’s public promise to do so. The Civantia project, a nine-tower complex planned for the Cañada Azteca canyon, has been under construction since 2021 in a zone classified for natural conservation. Residents want to see the permits. City officials keep saying no.
The activist group Defendamos la Playa announced on June 7 that Fernando Sánchez Muñoz, the current head of Tijuana’s Urban Administration Office (DAU), has not released the permit files. Mayor Ismael Burgueño had committed to a transparency process in two earlier meetings with residents. But his own department heads are not following through.
Playas de Tijuana Development Permits Granted in a Conservation Zone
The Civantia project is being built by Ruba and Grupo Musa, two of Mexico’s largest housing developers. Ruba is publicly traded and based in Chihuahua. The project calls for nine condominium towers of roughly 20 stories each, plus a hotel and a shopping center. Construction began with earthmoving work in 2021, during the administration of former Mayor Montserrat Caballero.
The core problem is zoning. Cañada Azteca sits within a designated natural conservation area under Tijuana’s urban development plan. That plan governs what can and cannot be built across the city. Residents and the collective argue that the permits should never have been issued. No authorized zoning change existed at the time, and none has been published since.
Sara González, a member of the collective, put it bluntly at the June 7 meeting: “By law, they are obligated to make this information public.” She noted that the only legal exceptions involve personal data or national security, neither of which applies to construction permits.
Federico Godínez, another collective member, said the group recognizes Mayor Burgueño’s willingness to engage. “But his officials have withheld the information we have been requesting,” he said. He stressed that because zoning changes were never authorized for the area, permits should not have been granted under the previous administration.
New Urban Plan Approved February 24 but Still Not Published
Layered on top of the permit dispute is a separate fight over Tijuana’s updated urban development plan, known as the PDUCP (Programa de Desarrollo Urbano del Centro de Población). The city council approved the updated PDUCP on February 24, 2026. But the document has not yet been published in Baja California’s official state gazette, the step that gives it legal force.
The PDUCP will establish new land-use designations across Tijuana, including Playas de Tijuana. Residents fear the updated plan could retroactively justify the Civantia project by reclassifying conservation land for high-density residential and commercial use. If that happens, more large-scale projects could follow in what has historically been a low-rise coastal neighborhood.
The collective asked to review the PDUCP before publication. Juan Diego Mascadeño López, head of Tijuana’s Metropolitan Planning Institute (Implan), denied them direct access. Implan instead directed residents to file a request through the city’s digital transparency platform. As of June 7, no response had arrived.
The updated PDUCP is currently being reviewed by Tijuana’s Municipal Government Secretariat, now led by Ramón Vázquez Valadez, who took over the post on June 5. After municipal review, the plan goes to the state government for final observations before publication.
González told the gathering: “We still have time to reverse the publication of the new PDUCP.”
Playas de Tijuana Faces Pressure From Density and Infrastructure Limits
Playas de Tijuana sits along the coast just south of the U.S. border. The neighborhood is home to a significant number of American and binational residents who commute to San Diego or work remotely. Property values in the area have climbed steadily over the past decade, driven in part by the neighborhood’s walkable streets, ocean views, and relatively low building heights.
A project the size of Civantia would alter the area’s physical character. Nine towers of 20 stories each would dwarf the existing residential fabric. Residents have raised concerns about traffic congestion, water supply, and drainage capacity in a canyon that funnels runoff toward the coast. Playas de Tijuana already experiences flooding during heavy rains, and CESPT, Tijuana’s municipal water utility, has struggled to maintain consistent service across the city.
The transparency fight matters because the PDUCP, once published, will set the rules for years. If conservation zones are reclassified without public input, property owners in adjacent areas could see their neighborhoods transformed with little recourse.
The collective and neighborhood residents will meet Mayor Burgueño for a third time on Saturday, June 13, at 10:00 a.m. at Palacio Municipal. Cabinet officials are expected to attend and present progress on prior commitments. This story was first reported by Punto Norte.