It is impossible to build an eco-park: where will the mayor of Rostov-on-Don put a comma?

The concrete jungle project on the site of a favorite grove caused a negative reaction among city residents

The grove beloved by all Rostovites just west of the Voroshilovsky Bridge is again under threat. An elite residential complex may grow on the site of a natural area, despite all the promises of the authorities to create an eco-park here. The design of the buildings has already been presented, but it seems they forgot to ask how the public feels about such architectural “delights.”

The grove opposite the central part of the Don capital occupies more than 11 hectares. In the shade of half-century-old fir trees, birches and willows, Rostovites spend weekends and fine, warm evenings. But all this may soon change.

According to “Independent newspaper”, the first alarm bells rang out back in 2021. Then the City Duma approved changes in the use of the site, which will allow the construction of not only public but also residential buildings to begin there.

The wave of negative reaction from residents was not long in coming. And although the mayor of the city, Alexey Logvinenko, noted at that meeting that permission to build housing on this territory increases its attractiveness for investors, the Rostovites were able to recapture the grove. With the help of numerous appeals to all authorities and to Governor Vasily Golubev himself. Then everything calmed down and even plans emerged to create an eco-park, as announced by the head of the administration at a public cleanup day.

However, according to Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the city manager apparently did not keep his promise – the grove is being prepared for cutting down. Recently the site was given over for the development of a planning and land surveying project. In the summer of 2023, a visualization of a project for the construction of an elite residential complex right on the territory of the grove appeared online.

An architectural specialist notes: the project both resembles a gap-toothed mouth with black teeth and deprives the left bank of the Don near the Voroshilovsky Bridge of the much-needed frame of natural greenery on all sides, which was envisioned by its architects and made the concrete structure “floating”, more airy.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that, according to representatives of the developer community, future investors should supposedly be the construction company SMU-1, which is considered close to the former deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Rostov region Aslanbek Dzhioev, as well as the local oligarch leading joint construction projects with him, President of FC Rostov Artashes Harutyunyants.

He is known for the fact that in 2014 he signed an agreement with the Don government on the construction of a retail park in Novoshakhtinsk… however, the trading platform never appeared. He also planned to invest in the restoration of the Paramonov warehouses and create an investment project, but it was not implemented.

The SMU-1 “Derzhavinsky” project on the banks of the Don is also known, blocking the visual line from the river to the Stele-monument on Teatralnaya Square, causing protests. Despite these circumstances, a building permit was issued and construction was carried out.

Another striking example of the activities of the city administration, according to NG, is the issuance of a permit to the company of Aslanbek Dzhioev’s son Vadim to build an underground multi-level parking at the address Budenovsky 34-40. This was supposed to make life easier for the townspeople, but in reality an elaborate central office building enterprises with closed parking “for their own”, and the townspeople again did not receive parking.

According to some reports, the territory may be transferred under the scheme of implementing a large-scale investment project in the field of housing construction without holding a tender. Although, today, according to one of the representatives of regional business, if this land plot is put up for auction, the market value of the purchase will reach no less than 1 billion rubles. Nezavisimaya Gazeta reports. What is the point of transferring it without bidding if the budget can receive such revenues?

It turns out that decisions that directly affect the interests of Rostov residents are made without the participation of the public, the architectural and construction community, and environmentalists? At the same time, there is a lot of free land around Rostov-on-Don, due to which the city can develop and expand.

It seems that the only hope, as in 2021, is that the city authorities will listen to the words of Governor Vasily Golubev and their people.