BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic — Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has launched an ambitious, multi-sector transformation initiative for the coastal municipality of Boca Chica, backed by over RD$20 billion in combined public and private investment. The sweeping project aims to reposition this popular coastal community as a leading hub for tourism, logistics, and broad-based economic development across the country.
Strategically located adjacent to Las Américas International Airport and the growing Caucedo logistics corridor, the Boca Chica development plan allocates funding across nearly every core sector of urban life. Large-scale investments are earmarked for sanitation infrastructure, road networks, new tourism developments, affordable housing, education facilities, healthcare services, and expanded public recreational spaces. The overarching goal is to build a modern, environmentally sustainable, community-focused urban center that benefits both existing residents and future visitors and investors.
During the project’s official launch event, Abinader framed the initiative as a cornerstone of the country’s long-term national development vision, centered on three core priorities: inclusive economic growth, comprehensive urban renewal, and measurable improvements to quality of life for local residents. He stressed that the plan is a collaborative effort, bringing together resources and expertise from the national central government, local municipal authorities, and private sector stakeholders to deliver organized, sustainable growth across both Boca Chica and the neighboring community of Andrés.
The single largest component of the public investment package is led by the National Institute of Water Potabilization and Sewerage (Inapa), which has been allocated more than RD$11 billion to deliver critical sanitation and environmental infrastructure upgrades. The Inapa project includes construction of a completely new municipal sewer network, a modern wastewater treatment plant, and a regulated submarine outfall. All three components are designed to protect the ecologically and economically vital Boca Chica beach, improve regional groundwater quality, and strengthen long-term environmental resilience along the Dominican coast.
On the transportation front, the government has outlined a series of major mobility and connectivity upgrades to support the area’s growth. Key projects include extending the Ecological Avenue corridor to the Multimodal Port, comprehensive rehabilitation work on the Las Amícas marginal road, and full paving for more than 125 kilometers of local streets. Government officials note that these infrastructure improvements will cut down on chronic traffic congestion, strengthen regional connectivity, and create the reliable transportation network needed to support logistics, tourism, and small business growth across eastern Santo Domingo.
Community-focused urban renewal forms another core pillar of the plan. Renovation work is scheduled for the high-traffic Duarte Street commercial corridor and the popular Boca Chica Park, while a new public boardwalk will be developed in Andrés. The site of the area’s former sugar mill will also be transformed into a large-scale recreational park, complete with dedicated sports zones, pedestrian walking trails, and flexible cultural event spaces for local families and visiting tourists.
Private sector investment will play a central role in the transformation, anchored by the large-scale Costa Blanca mixed-use development project. The complex will include hundreds of new residential units, new luxury and mid-scale hotels, expanded commercial retail and dining districts, and a public linear park along the beachfront. As part of the project, the initiative will also support the organized relocation of existing informal beach vendors, a move designed to modernize the tourism zone without displacing local small businesses or eroding the area’s unique community character.
Additional public projects outlined in the plan include new primary and secondary schools, expanded childcare centers, upgraded local healthcare clinics, new public sports facilities, energy-efficient smart LED streetlights across the municipality, and widespread upgrades to the regional electrical grid. Authorities also confirmed that more than 2,000 formal property titles will be issued to local resident families, a measure intended to strengthen long-term housing security and boost household economic stability for low- and middle-income communities in Boca Chica.
Government and project leaders describe the comprehensive Boca Chica transformation as the opening of a “new era” for one of the Dominican Republic’s most iconic beach destinations. The initiative balances targeted tourism growth, critical infrastructure modernization, and inclusive long-term economic development to deliver benefits that extend beyond Boca Chica to the entire eastern Santo Domingo region.