Parque Omar

About Parque Omar:

The park is the centre of the barrio and the reason for its name. Its main entrance is on Vía Porras, and public gates also open from Carrasquilla and from Altos del Golf. A handful of residential buildings have private gates of their own that let residents walk straight onto the paths. In practice, an advert that says Parque Omar means a building within a few blocks of one of those entrances: Calle 74 Este near Vía Porras, Calle 74 C Este in Carrasquilla, the Altos del Golf streets that back onto the trees, or Avenida Cincuentenario in Coco del Mar, where towers stand between the park and the bay. The deed will say San Francisco, so read the name as a measure of distance rather than an address.

Until 1973 the land was a private golf course. That year the government of General Omar Torrijos bought it for public use, and in 1982 the city named it Parque Recreativo y Cultural Omar. The Biblioteca Nacional Ernesto J. Castillero moved into a four-storey building inside the park in 1987. Today there is a hilly 3.5-kilometre main loop, a public pool, sports courts, a BMX track and play areas, open from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. For people living on its edge the park doubles as gym, running track and dog walk, and that is a large part of what they pay for.

Daily errands rarely mean a long drive. Multiplaza and the shops and restaurants of Vía Israel are close, and Calle 50, Vía Porras and the Corredor Sur link the barrio to the banking district and to Costa del Este. The nearest Metro station is Fernández de Córdoba on Line 1, a walk away through Carrasquilla, where the city has been rebuilding the sidewalks between the station and Vía Porras. Vía Porras is the pinch point at rush hour, and it has flooded beside the park in heavy rain. Look at where a building’s garage comes out onto the street before you commit.

The people who settle here are mostly families who want space and green, professionals working around Calle 50 and Obarrio, and foreign residents who try a few parts of the city and end up in San Francisco. The house streets of Altos del Golf sit at the top of the local price scale, and buyers outnumber tenants there. The towers along Calle 74 and in Carrasquilla occupy the middle ground, with a broad mix of owners and long-term renters. The new projects on Avenida Cincuentenario start with smaller units, which brings in first-time buyers and investors who would not otherwise get this close to the park.

Apartments for sale in Parque Omar:

Resale stock spans several generations of building. Along the Altos del Golf edge are low-density towers with one apartment per floor, such as Wellington Court, where units are 268 square metres and the building has its own access to the park, and Arboleda, finished in 2010, with single-unit floors from the eighteenth storey up. Near Calle 74 Este and Vía Porras stand more recent towers such as Quartier 74, 22 storeys and completed in 2013, with two- and three-bedroom layouts, a pool, a gym and visitor parking. Nearly all of it is sold under propiedad horizontal: you own the unit plus a share of the common areas, and you pay a monthly cuota de mantenimiento for security, lifts, cleaning, insurance and, in the larger buildings, the pool and staff. Parking spaces and the depósito may carry their own title numbers or simply be assigned by the PH, so confirm which before comparing two prices. A private gate into the park is a common area as well, and its guard and upkeep come out of that same fee.

Apartments for rent in Parque Omar:

Long leases are the norm, and demand for apartments for rent near Parque Omar comes from people who want the park on the doorstep and a short drive to work. Two-bedroom units, often furnished, are the most common let, taken by couples and young families employed around Calle 50, Obarrio and Costa del Este. Three-bedroom apartments with a maid’s room tend to go to families with children in the schools nearby. Whether a dog or cat is allowed is set by the building’s reglamento, not by the landlord. The reglamento also decides whether stays of a few nights are permitted at all, which matters to anyone buying with rental income in mind.

Houses in Parque Omar:

Houses are concentrated on the Altos del Golf side, where single-family homes with gardens line the streets that border the park. This is one of the most expensive segments of San Francisco, and not many come up for sale, so house hunters here often wait. A house is its own titled property rather than a PH unit: there is no cuota, but security, garden and pool upkeep fall entirely on the owner. A few homes have their own way into the park, which is worth confirming on site and on the plans rather than taking from the listing.

New developments in Parque Omar:

New stock is arriving on two edges of the park. On Calle 74 C Este in Carrasquilla, PH Omar Park View is converting two existing 23-storey towers into 108 apartments of two and three bedrooms from 106 square metres, with the first deliveries in Tower 1 estimated for 2026 to 2027. On Avenida Cincuentenario in Coco del Mar, A19 rises 26 levels with 104 apartments from 74 to 210 square metres, facing the park on one side and the bay on the other, and 5cero4 Park & Residences is going up on the same avenue. The municipality has been preparing new zoning for Coco del Mar, with public workshops held in 2025, so find out what the plan allows on the neighbouring lots before paying extra for a view. In any off-plan purchase, check that the developer owns the land and holds the building permits, and that the contract fixes a delivery date and says what happens if it slips.

Frequently asked questions:

• Where does Parque Omar begin and end?

  It has no official boundary. The name is used for the blocks closest to the park’s entrances: Vía Porras and Calle 74 Este, Calle 74 C Este in Carrasquilla, the Altos del Golf streets along the park and Avenida Cincuentenario in Coco del Mar. If you can walk from the building to a gate in a few minutes, the advert will probably say Parque Omar. On the title, the property sits in the corregimiento of San Francisco.

• What does the maintenance fee pay for in a building with park access?

  Beyond lifts, cleaning, insurance and the social areas, it covers the guard on any private gate and the planting along the park edge. In buildings with one apartment per floor the costs are split among few owners, so the fee per unit runs higher than in a large tower. Ask for the PH budget and for proof that the seller is up to date with the cuota before you sign.

• Does parking come with the apartment?

  Usually each unit has one or two spaces in the building’s garage. Ask about visitor spaces too, because not every building has them. The registry shows whether each space and the depósito is a separate titled property or an assigned common area, and that changes what you are actually paying for.

• Does the area flood?

  In heavy downpours Vía Porras has flooded alongside the park, holding up traffic in both directions. The effect is mostly on getting in and out by car. Ask the building administration whether rainwater has ever reached the basement, and know which street your garage exits onto.

• Can a foreigner buy off-plan here, and what should they check?

  Foreign buyers have the same ownership rights as Panamanians, and the title is recorded in the Registro Público. For a project, confirm that the land is registered to the developer and free of liens, that payments are tied to construction progress, and what the contract says about late delivery. In Coco del Mar, add the new zoning to that list.