{"id":12801,"date":"2026-04-21T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=12801"},"modified":"2026-04-21T07:44:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T12:44:47","slug":"security-structure-demolished-for-panama-coco-park-access-after-20-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/politics-government\/security-structure-demolished-for-panama-coco-park-access-after-20-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Security Structure Demolished for Panama Coco Park Access After 20 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Work crews in Panama City began demolishing a security structure on Monday that had blocked public access to a coastal park for over two decades. The action, taken in the Coco del Mar sector of San Francisco, follows a formal resolution by Mayor Mayer Mizrachi and aims to reclaim a community green space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Local officials described the demolition as a critical step in resolving a protracted urban dispute. The structure, a guardhouse for the Belvedere Park residential building, was built directly on a public <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Easement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">easement (servidumbre)<\/a> leading to the 1.3-hectare Coco Parque. The building&#8217;s concession for that portion of public land expired in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3940.775797748451!2d-79.49871262407116!3d8.99276689106716!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x8faca9000e057b19%3A0x4664a04b3f79fafd!2sCoco%20Parque!5e0!3m2!1sen!2spa!4v1776735651234!5m2!1sen!2spa\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" style=\"border:0;\" allowfullscreen=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>San Francisco representative Serena Vamvas oversaw the initial operations. She stated the move was firmly grounded in technical and legal reviews conducted by city and national authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;What is happening today is based on a provision signed by the mayor,&#8221; Vamvas said. [Translated from Spanish] &#8220;We have a report from the Mayor&#8217;s Office and from Anati, which documents all the topography and the easement that has been surveyed. Today we have begun the entry to Coco Park.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The demolition unlocks the immediate next phase: restoring permanent pedestrian access. For years, residents could see the public waterfront land but could not legally reach it, sparking continuous neighborhood complaints and administrative battles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From Shipyard to Community Park Vision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The site of Coco Parque originally functioned as a shipyard. The state recovered the land after a prior concession ended, and community groups have since pushed to transform it into an open urban park. A public consultation in July last year saw nearly 400 residents approve the access project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Advocates argue the park is desperately needed in a district with a documented shortage of adequate green spaces, sidewalks, and recreational areas. Once open, it would serve residents from Coco del Mar, Vi\u00f1a del Mar, and wider San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The effort to reclaim the land involved multiple government tiers. The local <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/crime-safety\/half-million-dollar-fake-check-scheme-lands-officials-in-jail\/\" rel=\"internal\">junta comunal\/community board<\/a> requested intervention from the Mayor&#8217;s Office, which then engaged the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anati.gob.pa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Land Administration Authority (Anati)<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miviot.gob.pa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ministry of Housing and Land Management (Miviot)<\/a> for official reviews and surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Participatory Path Forward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the physical barrier now being removed, the project shifts to planning the park&#8217;s design and future management. Authorities had previously evaluated an alternative ecological boardwalk along a nearby mangrove, but recovering the original easement allows for a more direct connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Community involvement is slated as a cornerstone of the upcoming phase. Plans include participatory design workshops to shape the park with trails, urban furniture, lighting, and security measures. The formation of a community board or patronato to assist with long-term maintenance has also been proposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vamvas framed the demolition as a commitment to returning essential public assets to the citizens. Her message underscored a resolve to prevent future obstructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;The community deserves its park; they must support us. Coco Park is moving forward and we will not let anyone stand in the way,&#8221; Vamvas expressed. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>For long-time residents and activists, the sound of demolition equipment represents a hard-won victory. It concludes a chapter of persistent advocacy for a parcel of land that existed on official maps as public domain yet remained inaccessible in practice. The work aligns with broader municipal efforts, under Mayor <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/technology\/panama-city-restructures-to-digitize-permit-processes-in-new-digital-hub\/\" rel=\"internal\">Mayer Mizrachi<\/a>, to streamline governance and address legacy urban issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The clearing of the access way opens a literal and figurative path. It transforms Coco Parque from a point of contention into a tangible project, moving the community&#8217;s vision for a shared coastal park closer to reality after more than twenty years of waiting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Work crews in Panama City began demolishing a security structure on Monday that had blocked public access to a coastal park for over two decades. The action, taken in the Coco del Mar sector of San Francisco, follows a formal resolution by Mayor Mayer Mizrachi and aims to reclaim a community green space. Local officials<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29,34],"tags":[3863,215,3864,2019,765],"class_list":{"0":"post-12801","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics-government","8":"category-living","9":"tag-demolition-clears-path-long","10":"tag-panama-city","11":"tag-panama-city-park-access","12":"tag-public-parks","13":"tag-urban-development"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12803,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12801\/revisions\/12803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}