Understanding the Controversy Over Tassoultante's Residential Land Development
Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, the mayor of Marrakech and the national minister responsible for land development, urban planning, housing, and city policy, is attempting to manage the escalating controversy surrounding the familial lands in Tassoultante. In recent reports, it was revealed that her strategy may be somewhat debatable, as it appears to rely on a partially valid rectification - stating that administratively designated agricultural land can indeed be classified as constructible. This approach seems aimed at minimizing more serious grievances that have come to light, particularly those documented in available files. These grievances include the marketing of villas on plots smaller than the regulatory minimum of 250 square meters in zone D1, a contentious authorization (1080/2023) for the construction of 1,660 villas on title 33753/M, a subsequent change in ownership favoring Atlas Mountain View, and several subdivisions that occurred after the 2017 development plan.
This defensive strategy appears more like a smoke screen than a genuine resolution. Despite correcting certain inaccuracies regarding the constructibility of the plots, the Mansouri faction seems to divert attention from critical issues such as compliance with minimum surface area requirements, setbacks, post-development plan subdivisions, authorization timelines, and the transfer of land that had already been enhanced by a favorable administrative decision.
The Legal and Administrative Implications of the Development Project
The controversy is not merely a matter of land classification or a media squabble involving El Mansouri, a prominent figure in the Authenticity and Modernity Party. It highlights a defense built on factual accuracy, useful corrections, and significant silences. While it is true that the parcel under title 33753/M may qualify for construction, the previous administrative agricultural designation does not exclude it from urban classification, and certain older subdivisions seem to predate the Tassoultante plan. However, these partial truths do not address the anomalies identified in the case files.
The urban agency's platform classifies the area of title 33753/M as zone D1 in the development plan approved on June 29, 2017. The public summary associates this sector with "residential zones" and "urban residential areas intended for individual housing, in the form of row villas, twin villas, and isolated villas, as well as hospitality in sector D3." This information invalidates the argument of the land being entirely unbuildable. However, it exposes the Atlas Mountain View project to the constraints of urban regulations.
El Mansouri's focus on disputing the most apparent error shifts the conversation toward the general constructibility of the land rather than the specific compliance of the lots, setbacks, density, and the legal framework adopted. Zone D1 allows individual housing under certain conditions, including a minimum plot size of 250 square meters, a ground coverage capped at 60%, a maximum land occupancy coefficient of 1.2, and a setback of five meters. Therefore, the mere existence of a right to build does not automatically render a group of villas compliant.
The commercial brochure for Atlas Mountain View, dated April 2025, lends material weight to the grievance by showcasing three-bedroom villas, including a master suite, distributed across ground floor, upper floors, and terraces, with living areas of 173 square meters, gardens ranging from 32 to 62 square meters, and parcels measuring between 139 and 165 square meters. A footnote specifies that this information is for reference only and that the "areas may vary depending on the residences," without aligning these dimensions with the regulatory threshold of zone D1.
The crux of the matter lies in how the right to build has been transformed into a residential complex, the discrepancies between the thresholds set by the development plan and the highlighted parcels, and the administrative pathway that enabled the project to progress. The report referenced in the documentation discusses authorization number 1080/2023, mentions Saâd El Mansouri and associates in the table, links the file to the municipality of Tassoultante, and notes an authorization issued in December 2023 for a residential complex of 1,660 villas in sector D/D1.
As reported by barlamane.com.
