The location of the 22-storey building in "Mladost" is right there. We are planning not only it, but also the construction of a real ensemble of social buildings that the people of Sofia deserve. This was said in the program "120 minutes" on bTV by the mayor of the metropolitan region "Mladost" Ivaylo Kukurin.
„For the zone, we plan not only this building, which for some reason conveniently for some parties comes to the fore, but also a cinema. My ambition is to develop a cultural center. Very soon, the construction of a multifunctional sports hall will begin. A park is planned on the opposite side. We have already signed a contract and the construction of a kindergarten will begin very soon“, he explained.
The disputes surrounding the project for the construction of a skyscraper in the capital's “Mladost“ district have repeatedly entered the information flow during these months. Kukurin shared that the building is planned to be an office building.
“Categorically, the part that will be compensation for the Sofia Municipality and the “Mladost“ district will be able to be used by citizens for the purpose of developing social activities. We think that we will be able to build several halls there that will be galleries and can be visited. Our big idea is that this compensation should also be used for a new, modern and adequate administration“, commented the district mayor.
The building will be 75 meters high and will be built on an area of 45 thousand square meters, with 15 thousand square meters of parking lots. About 93% of the land is owned by the municipality, which in return will receive between 26 and 30% of the building on it.
According to Kukurin, the deal is very good. “The percentage is 30. One important detail is omitted - the condition will be that this building will be completed turnkey, which is also a large investment. Finishing work is extremely expensive, especially for this type of building. So the economic justification is extremely profitable and Sofia residents will receive something truly modern for 0 leva investment from the region and the municipality. This asset will be worth about 50 million euros, which I think has not been achieved during the last three mandates of the Municipal Council“.
“A typical deal is for a private investor to receive over 70% of the building for a share of less than 8% of the land. This is a form of public-private partnership. Such deals are made, including in the Sofia Municipality,“ explained Kukurin.
According to him, anyone who has private land grants their right to build to another investor in return for compensation, because otherwise they cannot implement such a project themselves. “And it must be categorically stated here that these 8% of the complex co-ownership are extremely important and limiting, because without the consent of the three parties any other action would be doomed“.
“The investor had already declared his investment intention with a proposal to the municipality last year. After which we went through the legally established procedure. This assessment is made by licensed appraisers who have a contract with the Sofia Municipality,“ emphasized Kukurin.
The district mayor explained that the assessment is based on a report from a licensed appraiser and he offers 26%. “Within the debates and what we managed to achieve, because this is a decision of the Municipal Council, the percentages were increased to 30%, which is even better for me“.
“The legal order is for me to propose the assessment that was given to me by the assessor, and now the decision of the Municipal Council to increase the percentage is in their hands. I am glad that it happened like this, because it means that the residents of “Mladost“ will get more“, believes Kukurin.
“Mladost“ suffers from many problems related to overdevelopment, but this has been my fight since day one. This building in particular is on a site that was designated as “Mladost Center“ more than 20 years ago. The idea is for this area to develop in this way. My concept is that it is there that Sofia Municipality should finally build an area with truly adequate social infrastructure“, he shared.
According to him, Mayor Terziev has given an example that the place for such types of buildings, from an urban planning perspective, is exactly there. “If it is in an inter-block space, I agree that it is extremely unreasonable. But we are not talking about such a thing here. We are talking about the most central boulevard with a metro stop. So, if something high is being built somewhere, this is one of the best places in “Mladost“.