There was a time when the street named after explorer Fernao Mendes was the centre of industry in Taipa - when firecrackers, not casinos, were Macau's claim to fame. But a shifting economy led to the closure of the Yick Loong firecracker factory in the 1980s, and the 3.6-hectare site has sat undeveloped since.
The city said it would develop the site into an urban park, complete with an art gallery, amphitheatre and green areas that incorporated existing structures - but those promises were made 10 years ago and although designs have been drawn up by local architects, construction has yet to break ground.
Public works officials would not comment on the status of the site, but sources say someone claiming a right to use the land may have raised a dispute. And since the factory site was recently removed from city guidelines that would have limited the height and characteristics of development, residents fear the delay could mean that profit in the form of massive development will supersede the quality of life a park could bring to the community, or even worse, lead to more development in Taipa Village, a stone's throw from the factory doors.
Their fears are not unwarranted. Land is scarce in Macau, and Taipa Island is a prime location for new development - the latest of which will be Stanley Ho Hung-sun's one-million-sq-ft Nova Taipa Gardens phase-two residential project. He also has plans for an exclusive hotel and entertainment complex on Taipa.
In 2002, bulldozers had already broken ground and laid a foundation for a 30-floor apartment complex across from the factory, before angry residents took to the radio airwaves to protest. The height of the complex was legal, since the land it was to be on was also one of the areas removed from city guidelines.
Residents said that such a building would dwarf the Our Lady of Carmel Church nearby, and their concerns were so strong that Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau-wah reportedly stepped in at the last minute and arranged a land swap with the developer, thereby ending the project.