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Verona, stop to Arsenale and new shopping centres
12 October, Il Sole 24 Ore
Blocked the projects of the former City Council, requalification project near Piazza delle Erbe
In its first one hundred days, the new Council of Verona has already spoken on the themes of development and urban regeneration, pointing out as a priority the recovery of some areas, abandoned and not in use, rejecting the project of the old Council for the Arsenale requalification, cancelling substantially the financing project started by the group Italiana Costruzioni, giving a clear message against the opening of new shopping centres, considering that, after the success of the new Adigeo, there are other nine in the pipeline.
Ilaria Segala, Councillor for Urban Planning in Verona, comments: “The debate over Arsenale is still open, we’ve promoted a collaboration with Milan Institute of Technology to identify the best functional mix, and we’ve been listening to people. We’re planning to finalise the project by the end the year and put on the books 9 million euro for the first phase of interventions”. The new administration is currently evaluating partnerships with privates, such as leasings, but with a significant public participation, avoiding the private part to push too much on the commercial side of the project. Last summer, the new administration rejected the project, declaring it not of public interest. What will be then the destiny of Arsenale? And what about Palazzo Capitanio in Piazza dei Signori? What to do with Castel San Pietro, just behind Teatro Romano? All questions still unanswered. “It needs to be studied”, comments the Councillor.
Verona seeks solutions regarding culture, but the city has to deal with the significant demand for commercial spaces and, for the future, it will need to find a solution for the reconversion of a big park in the former train station area beside the railway. The old markets and factories have been only partially reconverted. The city needs a clear urban plan for public services in order to create a structure supporting the community.
In the meanwhile, the Foundation Cariverona has appointed Marino Folin for the development of a master plan to promote and reconvert eight properties for a total of 90 thousand Sq m in the heart of the old town, right next to Piazza delle Erbe. “They are properties of the Foundation and of Torre SGR – explains Folin, former rector of the Iuva University in Venice, who since this year is also a member of the Foundation Board of Directors – we will propose to them a single solution to reconvert the assets”. The properties include Castel San Pietro and the buildings at number 1 and 2 in Via Garibaldi (previously occupied by the Unicredit headquarters), Palazzo Forti and a small building in Via Rosa, Palazzo del Capitanio, Palazzo Bottagisio, and a building in Piazzetta Monte. “Most of the properties are vacant or they will be very soon, they are all in strategic positions – comments Folin – of significant dimensions and of excellent architectural quality. We need to reinvent their functions, looking at the future of Verona”. The master plan will be ready in one month and Folin believes that this is the occasion to reflect on the vocation of the city and on the reuse of its buildings, some of them even in the short term.
For what concerns residential developments, there are no significant news, speaking of dimensions, except for the operation promoted by Sarmar in the former barracks area of Passalacqua and Santa Maria, not far from Veronetta where the Municipality has won a grant for 18 million euro, with the Piano Periferie project, to reconvert a silo to serve the university nearby.
Whereas the operation Verona Central Park has progressed. The share of social housing for about thirty accommodations has already been sold. There are in total sixty accommodations of subsidised constructions: 20 are already occupied and 40 are sold and they will be delivered in the first months of 2018 at a price of 2,200 euro per Sq m. A third construction site for other 20 apartments might start soon. Concerning free construction, the plan is to build 200 apartments that will be put on the market at a price of 3,600/3,800 euro per Sq m. The construction of the first 100 houses should start at the beginning of 2018. According to Sarmar, from a market survey emerges that this area with such a real estate offer might reach values around 4,000/4,200 euro per Sq m.
Source: Il Sole 24 Ore
Translator: Cristina Ambrosi