April has brought strife to San Miguel de Allende, as city residents object to construction projects and public works, as well as concerns about the upkeep of the city’s Parque Juárez. In good news however, the city celebrates both a large international investment and the opening of a brand new health facility.

Dispute heats up over green space in Los Frailes

Some long-term residents of the 700-home Villa de los Frailes subdivision southwest of San Miguel have organized to oppose condo construction on the largest green space there. They say the original developers deeded it to the municipal government back in the 1970s because of existing high-voltage electric lines.

The space contains a children’s park named Parque Rodrigo for a resident family’s son, who died at age 17. The residents say his parents have paid to maintain the park for many years, and that what “began as one family’s tribute became a gift to our entire community.”

Despite the history, the residents say developers received permission from the previous municipal administration to put lots on the green space and build a number of condos there. Two years ago, they say, a backhoe showed up at the park and destroyed stairs, a walkway and two planters before being stopped.

The residents recently posted a petition on change.org, where more than 560 signatures of the goal of 2,500 have currently been recorded. It asks the current municipal government to acknowledge the original agreements creating the green space and the legal owner of the property, the Comisión Federal de Electricidad, which the petition says doesn’t want the space sold or developed.

The residents plan to present the petition signatures and accompanying testimonials to Mayor Mauricio Trejo and ask him to declare Parque Rodrigo a permanently protected green space.

 Mexico’s first hospice inaugurated in San Miguel

San Miguel now has an inpatient and outpatient hospice facility, which was inaugurated March 29 at Prolongación Cuesta de San José 93 near the turnoff to the El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden.

The nearly 16,000-square-foot facility includes three fully equipped hospital-style rooms offering 24/7 care, a medical office and exam room, a chapel, a full kitchen and administrative offices. Plans call for expanded patient facilities and educational resources.

The city donated the land for the Lee Carter Center’s Hospice Care Mitigare for 100 years, with taxes and permit fees included, and construction began in 2024. The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday provided some of the initial and ongoing funding.

Care is provided depending on ability to pay based on a scale developed by Guanajuato state. For more information, the hospice facility can be reached via email at contacto@mitigare.org or by calling 415 152 5202. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Falling trees and limbs in Parque Juárez spark concern

Residents near Parque Juárez in Centro are expressing concern about dead trees and limbs falling in and around the park. One told Mexico News Daily that city workers will remove fallen trees and branches but won’t commit to prevention activities to avoid future problems.

“The large ash in the corner of the lavaderos is dead, and it has dropped three major branches over the past two years, with [the] most recent roughly six months ago,”  one nearby resident, who asked not to be named, told Mexico News Daily.

Some of the ash trees in the park show evidence of pests or woodpeckers, the resident said, and large limbs and sometimes an entire tree will fall down and land on public pathways or near areas where people sit or on streets where they drive.

“I have seen a few dead trees removed over the past few months from the park, but I fear we will see something much worse in the days ahead if nothing happens,” the resident said.

El Charco asks state governor to halt sports project expansion

Managers of the El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden have reportedly asked the governor of Guanajuato to stop expansion of the “Bosque Deportivo” sports facilities project due to concerns that it encroaches on the zone of ecological preservation where El Charco is located.

The president of El Charco’s board and its director recently told Guanajuato Gov. Libia García that state funding should not be used for the project, and that San Miguel’s mayor had allowed the municipal government to construct roads, plant non-native trees and remove natural vegetation without going through the proper legal procedures.

Construction began in 2022 at the 42-hectare Bosque Deportivo, which now includes tennis, pickleball and basketball courts, walkways, a large parking area and a fountain. It is said to be the largest sports complex in San Miguel at 14 times larger than Parque Juárez.

Conagra makes major investment in Bajio-area plant

Conagra Brands Mexico is investing 550 million pesos (about US $31.6 million) to upgrade and expand its Irapuato production plant about an hour southwest of San Miguel de Allende. The facility manufactures products sold under the ACT II, Del Monte and Hunt’s brands and is responsible for nearly all of the U.S. company’s sales in Mexico.

The company called the Irapuato plant a “strategic pillar” for Conagra in Mexico, where it employs more than 800 people. The facility, which opened in 1962 and was acquired by Conagra in 2000, is in an area of the Bajio region with access to important raw materials such as corn, potatoes and carrots, the company said.

“Mexico is a key market for Conagra Brands, and this investment reaffirms our confidence in the country and its talent,” said Alberto Cavia, CEO of Conagra Brands Mexico.

Cathy Siegner is an independent journalist based in San Miguel and Montana. She has journalism degrees from the University of Oregon and Northwestern University.