Jason Beckwith, a Californian entrepreneur who runs guesthouses in Santa Barbara, bought the abandoned village of Salto de Castro in western Spain for €310,000 on a spring 2024 deal.
Built by Iberduero in 1946, the settlement once housed 44 homes, a church, a school, a bar, and a Civil Guard barracks before the last workers left in 1989.
"I want to bring people back," Beckwith told El País. "The first phase will open in two years with a hotel, a multi‑level restaurant, and a recreation area."
Mayor Sergio López welcomed the plan but said no formal request had been filed yet. Ecologists in Action criticised the development for conflicting with park conservation.
Beckwith has yet to move into the village; he and his wife currently live in an apartment in Zamora and are awaiting land‑use approvals.
The council will vote on the project on June 15, and if approved, restoration could begin in September.