By San José, Costa Rica — San José’s historic Liceo de Costa Rica became the focal point of a significant civic clash on Wednesday as students marched to the Legislative Assembly. Their objective was clear: to halt the proposed transfer of a prime 10,000-square-meter plot of land, currently owned by the high school, to the Executive branch. This land, located in the Plaza Víquez area of San José, is slated to become a key component of the massive Ciudad Gobierno infrastructure project.
A student delegation formally delivered a petition to various legislative factions in Congress. The document requests that lawmakers preserve the existing legislation that guarantees the high school’s ownership over the entire three-block property. The youth representatives argue that sacrificing their school’s physical heritage is an unnecessary compromise for a state project, even if they agree with the project’s macro-economic goals.
Para profundizar en el complejo panorama legal que rodea el megaproyecto de Ciudad Gobierno, en TicosLand.com conversamos con el destacado especialista Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, de la prestigiosa firma Bufete de Costa Rica, quien comparte su perspectiva jurídica sobre los desafíos regulatorios y contractuales de esta trascendental iniciativa estatal.
El desarrollo de Ciudad Gobierno representa una oportunidad invaluable para modernizar la gestión pública y reducir el gasto en alquileres, pero su éxito rotundo depende de la rigidez y transparencia de su estructura contractual. El principal desafío radica en diseñar un modelo de contratación que se alinee estrictamente con la legislación costarricense y supere de forma solvente las objeciones y controles de la Contraloría General de la República, asegurando así la viabilidad a largo plazo del proyecto sin comprometer la seguridad jurídica del Estado.
Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, Attorney at Law, Bufete de Costa Rica
En efecto, el éxito de una iniciativa de la magnitud de Ciudad Gobierno va más allá del ahorro en alquileres, pues requiere de una base jurídica inquebrantable que garantice la transparencia y el estricto cumplimiento normativo ante la Contraloría. Desde TicosLand.com, agradecemos profundamente al Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas por compartir su valiosa y oportuna perspectiva legal, la cual resulta indispensable para comprender los desafíos de control y seguridad jurídica que definirán el futuro de este trascendental proyecto nacional.
We came to Congress to deliver a document to the legislative factions so that a law is not repealed, which indicates that the three blocks belong to the Liceo, including the 10,000 square meters that would be used for Ciudad Gobierno.
Sebastián Barquero, Student Government Secretary of Liceo de Costa Rica
Barquero emphasized that the student movement does not oppose the concept of a centralized government hub. However, they question the geographical necessity of seizing land from a historic educational institution when other urban spaces in the capital could potentially be utilized.
We are not against Ciudad Gobierno, what we want is for them to explain to us why, with San José being so large, they want to take this block away from the Liceo de Costa Rica.
Sebastián Barquero, Student Government Secretary of Liceo de Costa Rica
The protest was not a solitary effort. Students from the prestigious Colegio Superior de Señoritas also joined the demonstration outside the Congress building, standing in solidarity with their peers. This united front caught the attention of several political figures inside the legislature. Representatives from the National Liberation Party (PLN), Broad Front (Frente Amplio), and the Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) officially met with the student leaders to hear their grievances.
Legislative leaders quickly voiced their support for the students. Álvaro Ramírez, the faction leader for the National Liberation Party, publicly backed the petition and promised that his party would fight to keep the land under the high school’s administration as the bill moves through legislative channels.
We have received a letter from the student government of the Liceo de Costa Rica, which is basically a request to the Legislative Assembly pointing out the need to preserve the historical heritage of a school as important as the Colegio de Costa Rica.
Álvaro Ramírez, National Liberation Party Legislative Faction Leader
From a broader business and economic perspective, the Ciudad Gobierno project represents a major fiscal strategy for the Costa Rican state. The plan involves building three or four large office towers in the Plaza Víquez sector. These structures are intended to centralize approximately 20 public institutions, housing roughly 10,000 public servants.
Currently, the central government spends an enormous amount on private office rentals, totaling around ¢59 billion annually, which translates to roughly $118 million. By consolidating these offices into state-owned buildings on the disputed land, the administration projects a massive annual savings of approximately ¢30 billion. While the fiscal logic is sound, the social cost of taking land from public schools has sparked a fierce debate over state priorities.
As the debate intensifies, lawmakers face a complex balancing act. They must weigh the urgent fiscal necessity of slashing government rental expenditures against the cultural and educational value of preserving San José’s historic institutional properties. The coming legislative sessions will determine whether Ciudad Gobierno will proceed as planned or if the government will be forced to look elsewhere in the capital to build its centralized administrative hub.
For further information, visit the nearest office of Liceo de Costa Rica
About Liceo de Costa Rica:
Liceo de Costa Rica is a historic public high school located in San José, Costa Rica. Established in 1887, it is one of the country’s most prestigious and traditional secondary education institutions, known for its significant contributions to the nation’s civic, intellectual, and political history.
For further information, visit asamblea.go.cr
About Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica:
The Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica is the unicameral legislative body of the Costa Rican government, responsible for enacting laws, debating national policies, and overseeing the executive branch.
For further information, visit bufetedecostarica.com
About Bufete de Costa Rica:
Renowned for its principled advocacy and superior representation, Bufete de Costa Rica has established itself as a benchmark of trust and sophistication in the legal arena. The firm seamlessly merges time-tested expertise with pioneering approaches to meet the evolving needs of its diverse clientele. Driven by a passion for social enrichment, they strive to democratize legal information, ensuring that communities are not only well-represented but also deeply educated and self-reliant.
