Government Decrees Control North Pacific Growth  April 10 By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The central government decreed what amounts to a zoning plan for the whole northern Pacific coast Wednesday in places where local plans do not exist. A summary from Casa Presidencial said that the goal was to establish density limits for construction and set the maximum height for buildings. The measure also will have the effect of permitting coastal development to go ahead in the absence of a local plan regulador. This has been a stumbling block for many coastal projects. The decree, which has the force of law, regulates land up to 4 kms. (about 2.5 miles) for the coast. It defines its area of coverage as the Región Chorotega, basically the northwest coast of the country. The package of decrees was signed by President Óscar Arias Sánchez; Rodrigo Arias, minister of the Presidencia; Carlos Ricardo Benavides, minister of Turismo; Fernando Zumbado, minister of Vivienda y Asentamientos Humanos; Jorge Woodbridge, minister of Competitividad, and  Roberto Dobles, minister of Ambiente y Energía. Officials said that the Cámara de la Construcción, the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos and the Consejo de Desarrollo Inmobiliario were consulted in advance. The decrees are supposed to endure for four years  in places where the land is not covered by a plan regulador, basically a zoning and development plan. The decrees set out four areas. The first is the public area of the Zona Marítimo Terrestre, the maritime zone. This is the 50 meters above the high tide line. Except for specialized ocean related facilities like docks, construction is forbidden here. The next 150 meters, the restricted zone, is where developers can obtain concessions or long-term leases from the municipality and the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo. The decrees establish two more zones. One has been called the intermedia, and this includes the next 800 meters after the restricted zone. The fourth zone is all the land from the limit of the intermedia to 4 kms. above mean high tide, in other words a strip 3 kms. wide. According to the decrees, developments within the restricted zone can be no taller than 16 meters (52.5 feet). Casa Presidencial said this was three floors. Buildings in the intermedia can be 24 meters tall, nearly 79 feet. Casa Presidencial said this was five floors. The final zone farthest from the beach can have structures 36 meters tall (118 feet). Casa Presidencial described this as eight floors. The actual height rather than the number of floors seems to be the controlling factor in the decrees. The text of the decrees will be published in the official La Gaceta.