Cost to build a shopping center in Punta Cana

Before laying out units, study customer origins, entry and exit, visibility and parking. Proximity to tourism does not guarantee useful footfall for every tenant. Examine residents, workers, visitors and competition within the actual catchment.

Include deliveries, waste, accessibility and servicing in the program. Restaurants, clinics and offices have different technical needs and operating hours. Architectural design should resolve those differences before they become operational conflicts.

Built area includes space that does not directly earn rent. Gross leasable area must follow a consistent measurement standard and the actual lease terms. Circulation, cores, services and plant reduce the leasable share.

Separate units, contractually leasable terraces, corridors, stairs, elevators, restrooms, plant and parking. Comparing cost per built square meter with rent per leasable square meter without reconciling both areas overstates performance.

Budget structure, roof, facade, waterproofing, mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems, cooling, fire protection, backup power, parking, roads, signage, landscaping, elevators and common spaces. Add land, studies, design, permits, indirect costs, insurance, contingency and finance.

Define shell versus fit-out: what the landlord delivers and what the tenant builds. Avoid counting cooling systems or finishes twice. Kitchen, extraction and grease management requirements should be established before finalizing the investment. A single rate without this scope and dated local quotations is not a reliable budget.

Gross potential rent at full occupancy = GLA × monthly rent per square meter × 12. Occupancy-adjusted revenue equals that amount multiplied by expected occupancy. If occupancy is already below 100%, do not deduct the same vacancy again. Model rent-free periods, bad debt and discounts separately.

Deduct unrecovered maintenance, management, security, insurance, reserves and other landlord costs to approximate operating income. Recovered service charges are not pure profit. Debt service, taxation and major replacements need additional analysis.

Compare tenant mix, unit sizes, occupancy ramp-up and fit-out schedules. Seek operator interviews and letters of intent while distinguishing them from signed leases. The public Punta Cana Commercial / Mall project illustrates GARPER’s design work; it is not evidence of investment returns or a cost benchmark.