We looked at Ladera when we were searching for a place to buy to downsize from our house on the beach in Zacatitos. Most of the houses, at the time, had three floors and as a result were of less interest to us. However, it is an interesting neighborhood and I recent had the opportunity to meet with Jose Ignacio Iturbide, the development to learn more about the project. It turned out to be a fascinating story.
Jose’s great grandfather owned the land from the trans-peninsular back for about a kilometer up the hill. It was passed on to his grandmother and then to her four children – one of them being Jose’s father. Jose and his siblings were going to McGregor school when it was in downtown San Jose del Cabo. When the head of the school left, eight families shared the responsibility of running the school. As it needed to expand, the built new classrooms in the current location of McGregor behind H+ Hospital. They sold the property in front where H+, the Hampton Inn, Koral Center and El Merkado are located. But it was determined that the time was not right to develop the land. Jose went to the mainland to study Industrial Engineering and after graduation worked for a developer in Monterey. He later returned for a master’s degree in engineering, and again worked for a developer in Monterey, gaining the experience necessary to ultimately develop the family land on the corridor.
After Hurricane Odile in 2014, Jose’s father, who owns Interceramic and as a result, was very aware of the changes in the market, told Jose it was time to start planning the residential project. Working with a few architects, the vision for Ladera clarified and permits were put in place. Ladera broke ground in late 2018, only to be soon after faced by the pandemic.
The Master Plan for Ladera shows three phases, with a combination of condominiums and single-family homes. To date, phase one is basically complete with the final condominium building under construction and building has started on Phase 2. The first condominium building in Phase 1 includes four one-bedroom units and four three-bedroom units the rest were two-bedroom, two-bath units, for a total of 37 condominiums. The second building is now underway.
We had the opportunity to tour the model condominium unit and then one of the houses in Phase 1 that is about to be delivered to its new owners. All of the condominiums have the living room decks and bedroom windows facing the Sea of Cortez. The finishes are high end, with sliding doors that go behind the wall, making the outdoor deck part of the indoor space. The kitchen has lots of cabinet space and high-end appliances. Both bathrooms – hall and en suite have large walk-in closets. The floors are very large porcelain (from Interceramic, of course).
A few changes have been made in the condominiums in Phase 2, which will follow the curve of hill, with the terraces and windows again all looking out to the Sea of Cortez. There is even one floor plan that has an expanded outdoor space.
The single family home that we toured in Phase one is built on two floors. All homes have three covered parking spaces at the street level. Entering through a large metal pivoting door, you take on flight of stairs down to the outdoor deck. This space was large and had a plunge pool, hot tub and fire pit with a separate entertainment room at the back of the deck. The combined kitchen, dining room and living rooms is large and has large windows with views of the Sea of Cortez and parts of the outdoor space. There is also a half bath and pantry on the first floor. To reach the second floor bedrooms, there is either a staircase or an elevator (an option added by the buyers). The bedroom level has three bedrooms and two baths and a desk/workspace in the open area of the bridge that goes over the stairs from the front door down to the deck. Again, the bathrooms have large closet areas. There is also a laundry room on this floor near the exit to the parking spaces on the street level. The finishes are all high end with the option to customize some of the choices.
We drove up to Phase 2 where the first of the homes are being built, allowing us a view of the land for Phase 2 and Phase three and the location of the condominiums the follow the hill. They are being built above a bluff ensuring that all units and homes have views.
One of the biggest challenges for Ladera San / Jose, according to Jose has been the timely completion of the Clubhouse, while meeting delivery dates on units purchased and helping to build a community. The Clubhouse, with adult and family pools, a restaurant and bar and a kids room, with electronic games is expected to be completed for the holidays in 2024.
Thank you, Jose for the tour and the information about Ladera. For more information visit their sales website at https://linktr.ee/laderasanjose and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LaderaSanJose/
