Tijuana developer Moisés Abadi, credited with reshaping Tijuana’s skyline with high-rise condos, died in a motorcycle accident over the weekend in Panama, his family confirmed Tuesday.

He was 62.

Abadi was perhaps best known locally for his NewCity development in Tijuana within walking distance of the United States-Mexico border, but he also had numerous business and personal ties in San Diego. The massive NewCity development, costing an estimated $170 million, features five sand-colored towers and a sprawling medical campus.

Even if people had not heard of Panamanian-born Abadi, they probably are familiar with NewCity because it makes up some of the tallest towers in the Mexican city and is easily viewed for miles into the United States. Its Diamond Tower, 27 stories at 334 feet, is the tallest building in Tijuana. The development nearly went bust during the recession, but Abadi was stubborn about sticking with it.


“Thank God I never walk away from anything,” Abadi told The San Diego Union-Tribune in 2017. Today, more than 1,000 people live in the development and it continues to grow with the completion of a fifth tower and hotel.

Abadi was a resident of Del Mar and active in the Jewish community in San Diego, Baja California and his native Panama. He was part owner of several franchised locations of The Broken Yolk Cafe in San Diego County.

His company Grupo Abadi said in a statement that he died in a crash in the province of Chiriquí in western Panama, which borders Costa Rica.

“He leaves behind the memory of his eternal smile and the image of an honest, tenacious and kind man,” the statement said.


Abadi was laid to rest Tuesday at El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley.

Abadi’s nephew, Zury Duek Abadi, said the family was devastated but remembered him fondly Tuesday after his funeral. He said his uncle was known for being a fair businessman, honest and making a positive impression on people during the briefest of meetings.

“He was all heart,” Zury Duek Abadi said. “He lived life to its fullest.”

The family said their company, Grupo Abadi, will continue its many projects in Baja California, Mexico City and San Diego.


Praise for Abadi came from all over Mexico and Southern California. Baja California Sen. Gerardo Novelo Osuna said Abadi was an exemplary man who helped the economic development of Baja California.

“Without a doubt, this is a great loss for the state,” he said in a statement.

Abadi was born in 1957 in Panama and went to Mexico in college to study engineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey. He returned to Panama to work construction with his father, but eventually decided to move his family to Mexico City in 1988 during the escalation of tensions between the United States government and Panama, eventually leading to a U.S. invasion.

In Mexico City, he became successful creating a business constructing residential buildings. In 1998, he again decided to move his family for safety reasons. That time, they moved to San Diego.


NewCity: The start of Tijuana’s vertical growth

Abadi first dreamed up the NewCity Development in the late 1990s, betting Tijuana residents — and Americans — would prefer to live as close to the border as possible if they bought a condo.

He put his money where his mouth was, buying an 8-acre site within walking distance of the border for $14 million in 2004.

Timing was not on his side. The project began in 2005, but was halted in 2007 with just two of seven towers built as the recession hit. It got so bad that 140 of the 200 people who had put down initial condo deposits walked away.

1 / 4 NewCity’s Diamond Tower, 27 stories at 334 feet, is the tallest building in Tijuana. Pictured is the (Phillip Molnar/San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 4 Units available in 2018: 84 Cost: $170,000 - $315,000 Size: 950 - 2,000-square-feet Amenities: 24 hour guards, gyms, Jacuzzis, tennis courts Developer: Moises Abadi (Phillip Molnar/San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 4 Tijuana’s NewCity Development () 4 / 4 View of NewCity from the United States (Phillip Molnar/San Diego Union-Tribune)


But, Abadi stuck with it and when the economy started to recover, began work on a third tower in 2014 and a fourth in 2016.

There are now five completed towers. Instead of two more planned residential towers, the company decided to build a massive medical plaza to take advantage of the thousands of Americans that cross over into Tijuana for medical care every year.

More than 1,000 people now live in the NewCity development and it makes up a more diverse skyline in the city with dozens of tall residential buildings, a rarity when Abadi started building.

Sergio Gonzalez, business developer for real estate agency Probien, said Abadi had a vision of what was possible in Tijuana.


“He came here with a mission of high rises,” he said, “and he survived the mortgage crisis.”

Abadi is survived by his children Isaac, Sara and José Abadi, who are also involved in the business. His son Issac is already the CEO of Grupo Abadi. In his final years, Moisés Abadi sat on the board of the company but day-to-day operations were handled by his son.

Isaac Abadi said Tuesday his father basically built the entrance to Tijuana and many Americans may only be familiar with Mexico through the border city.

“He was always looking to make a change and help people, and create something different than what there was,” he said. “He had an amazing vision.”


Union-Tribune assistant editor Tania Navarro contributed to this article.