The Pope is coming to Panama in January!

Everyone in Panama is gearing up for his visit and his 500,000 followers who will also be coming at that time. Hotels are completely booked and churches are already training volunteers to perform duties during World Youth Day 2019. Pope Francis will give opening remarks to the crowd in the middle of the Cinta Costera while thousands gather around. There will be more congestion than during Carnival.

Making Things Happen!

The Pope makes things happen. While the Panamanian president, Juan Carlos Varela, was tweeting about how he “shares the joy and excitement of the Panamanian people” about the Pope’s visit, I was being briefed on a new residential project that probably would not have happened if not for the Pope.

Panama doesn’t move all that fast on some projects and there really is a “mañana attitude”, but when Pope Francis punched his ticket to Panama City, projects long talked about, but not  necessarily moving forward, suddenly starting moving. One of those projects, a 28 million USD public works project, will upgrade infrastructure and turn a Panama City neighborhood into a pedestrian mall filled with all types of restaurants and retail, green spaces and open-air gathering areas.

Happening And On Time

“In time for the Pope,” became a rallying cry around the project. It is currently on time and should be ready to welcome some of the 500,000 visitors in January.

Included in this project, which was designed much like the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall in Miami, is a two-tower residential complex which was granted a special license for short-term leases. This will allow for rental condotels which provide the conveniences of a hotel in apartment-style living. Thanks to the Pope, that special license was issued and the upgrade was accomplished quickly.

It’s been a long time since we’ve had such an exciting project in Panama City.  One tower will be devoted to short-term rentals while the second will be for long-term rentals and full-time residents. The floor plans will come with one-, two- and three-bedroom units, all with ensuite and a long list of amenities. 

 Dreaming About Urban Life

I know I won’t be moving anytime soon, but I have to say I’ve found myself dreaming about living right in the middle of so much excitement. Open air restaurants, great shopping, steps from all kinds of transportation and views of the water.

So, I’m feeling a bit better about World Youth Day 2019 and young people flooding the streets of my city! I’m sure we’ll all live through the excitement and then we’ll be left with at least one completed infrastructure project.

Experiences Vs. Things

It’s good to open your world to outside possibilities. The other day I read in The New York Times that the newest generation entering the work force really isn’t interested in owning property at all. They want experiences over things and that initially depressed me, until I thought about how they would need to reside somewhere between having all their experiences. Maybe they’d want to live in the beautiful residences of the Uptown complex, nestled among green spaces and restaurants in the heart of Panama City. That would be a great situation for investors of Uptown. Lots of renters. The two buildings will each have 24-hour security and an on-site management service.

Uptown is still in development and there is wonderful pre-construction pricing. If interested, take a closer look by going to my website: https://www.lizlarroquette.com/uptown/. It really is an exciting project. I’d love for people to come check out the investment potential but maybe sometime other than January 22-27.

Thanks Pope Francis. Welcome to Panama!