"Why is there so much development and people choose Pinamar Norte when there are so many houses for sale in the rest of Pinamar? For me it's clear, it's a change in consumer behavior," says Carolina Laschera Lenti, marketing and communications manager at Pinamar SA, the family company that founded the resort in the 40s.
Today, 80 years later, Pinamar Norte is the new fashionable neighborhood and is advancing by leaps and bounds in its real estate proposal, in its commercial and tourist appeal. This area of forests and exclusive beaches became one of the clearest choices among those who plan to become permanent residents.
There are a lot of services offered by this booming area: it has its own shopping centre, its real estate studio projects, its gated communities, its spas, its gastronomic experiences. That need to "go out and find what is needed" towards the center of Pinamar no longer exists as such.
According to data provided by Pinamar SA, the company of the founding family of the city, there are more than 17 projects in the northern zone, including completed, under construction and soon to be launched. In addition, there are more than 670 units between built and under construction, of which approximately 70% are sold.
"In 1998 my father built the first house in that area, on Olimpo Avenue, two blocks from the mall. There was absolutely nothing. Since 2006 we have been developing the project in stages based on the growth of the area," says Ignacio Cattaneo in dialogue with Clarín. He is an architect and is in charge of the administration of the shopping center that has been developed for years in Pinamar Norte, precisely in Ilíada and Avenida del Olimpo.
A third of the project is currently complete. The block has 11,500m2 and so far has 50 stores of recognized brands. Work is underway to increase the number of 120 to 150 locations.
One of the stores in the shopping center of Pinamar Norte. Photo: Federico López Claro.
"The idea was to create a gastronomy sector, clothing, gallery, and then another stage with the services part: laundry, pharmacy, real estate, painting. That stage is projected and designed, and now with this growth of the area we are close to developing it," he says.
He agrees that there is a new consumer profile that sees everything offered in Pinamar Norte as an attractive proposition: "For the person who is in this area, it is no longer necessary to get so close to the center of Pinamar. There is even a supermarket that started as a kiosk 12 years ago, in a 20m2 premises. Later it moved to another 50 'm2, and then moved to two premises. Now the next stage would have to come, which is a 500m2 supermarket, with a garage, a very large warehouse."
On site. There are many projects underway in the area. Photo: Federico López Claro.
Cattaneo points out that the projection is that people will choose Pinamar Norte to live all year round. For this reason, he emphasizes that one of the clear examples is the Bosques neighborhood. "A part of it is going to be tourism, summer vacations, but I would say that 50% is going to be people who are going to live inside. With that, the center is going to be installed, and with that density of people we can make it open 100% all year round. Today it costs a bit in the winter, because there is little mass of hotels," he concludes.
Bosques, the new gated community
The boom in gated communities also explains the growth in demand. Bosques is one of the latest real estate projects launched by Pinamar SA: it has more than 200 hectares, is close to the sea and is surrounded by already consolidated neighborhoods, such as La Herradura and Pinamar Chico.
Clarín was able to tour this neighborhood in the pre-sale stage and learn in depth about the urban proposal that targets a very specific audience. Its main access is located at Av. Shaw and Av. Del Olimpo, in the heart of Pinamar Norte, but it will have two more entrances.
Bosques, the new real estate development in the area. Photo: Federico López Claro.
"The masterplan was designed by the BMA studio with the help of Martín Bodas, and what he told us is that everything is designed to be an experience for those who live in Bosques and for those who visit, that is why it is linked to the city," says Carolina Laschera Lenti, who accompanies the tour.
He explains that after an intense work of laying the electrical, water, sewer network and consolidation of streets, the civil works of the entrance portico and club house area began. There will be gastronomy services, spa, coworking, swimming pool, recreation area, sports and social areas.
Nicolás D'Odorico, director of Development at Pinamar S.A., also guides the route, and reports that there will be more than 1,000 lots that will make up the project: "We put the first stage of construction in pre-sale and sold everything we put in, which were about 250 lots more or less."
The pre-sale of lots in the Bosques neighborhood was sold out. Photo: Federico López Claro
"In stage two we are at 80% sales and stage three, we are selling it now, so far we have more or less 90 lots," he adds, and comments that the launch of the pre-sale was in January 2022 and that the first stage, "Acacias", is scheduled to be delivered during the second half of this year. Lots from the second stage are selling for around $85,000.
"The lots are all over 1,000 m2, most are between 1,050 and 1,100. The front, no less than 25 meters. There are some who are on the other side of the fence because they don't go with the wire to the avenue. Then there is a multi-family sector of approximately 10 hectares. There is going to be a fourth residential stage that does not yet have a name and is not up for sale," adds D'Odorico.
The lots being sold today in the neighborhood cost around $85,000. Photo: Federico López Claro
There is a vision of landscaping that can be seen even in the names of the stages in which the neighborhood is organized: "Acacias", "Tamariscos" and "Cortaderas" are all plants that are found in the area and that are reproducing in the Pinamar nursery that is right next to Bosques. The goal is for the landscaping to be integrated into the environment, to adapt to it. Based on the topography of each lot there is a challenge to create something.
Because of this, the lakes that are located within the neighborhood will fulfill a double function: they will be drains, where rainwater will go, and they will be a reservoir of water for fires.
"Our audience is families with children from CABA and GBA Norte, who are already used to the model of having a weekend home. People really don't want to be in houses with so many maintenance costs and prefer the model of services, amenities, cleaning and security that come, open and leave," says Laschera Lenti.
Buildings under construction
Real estate development has expanded in recent times, especially after the pandemic, and one of the examples is that of Patricio Stadnik, a civil engineer, who together with his partner discovered in Pinamar Norte a great business and investment opportunity. This is how the Foresta building, by the construction company Palpat, came about, which is in the completion stage after approximately one year and eight months of construction.
"We are developing a four-story building with three apartments per floor. There are a series of solar panels that will be installed on the terrace to be able to supply energy to the common spaces. It has the amenities you want to have when you go on vacation, such as gym, playroom, sauna, jacuzzi, outdoor pool. It is always important for the building to be in contact with nature, not to break with the environment," says Stadnik.
The aim is to continue with new proposals such as Foresta's, which respond to a demand that is clear to these developers: "The entire sector near L Frontera has had an incredible real estate explosion during and after the pandemic. In addition to the fact that the business model is good, they find it to be a mixed place where they can make use of their investments, whether to rent temporarily, to live or to sell."
The Nativa project developed by Malva Arquitectura in conjunction with BHA Constructora is another case of entrepreneurship in Pinamar Norte. The 30 units built in the first stage (7,700 m2) were sold in full, which will be delivered in the first half of 2024. The sales success triggered a second phase of the masterplan (6,500 m2) that has 50 smaller units than the initial ones, of which half are still available.
"Nativa" Building, one of the real estate projects in Pinamar Norte.
Unit purchase values start at $1,900 per square meter. The units vary between 50 m2 and 300 m2. The strategic arrangement makes the building presented in a fragmented manner, never revealing itself in its entirety from any angle to merge non-invasively with the wooded environment.
Maximiliano Álvarez, architect of this project, explains to Clarín about this bet: "The public is looking for units on this site a lot, especially those who want to have residences to live part of the year immersed in the forest and near the beach, as well as having the possibility of leaving their homes without having to worry about their maintenance."
Pinamar. Special Envoy
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