The Kyiv City Council refused the private enterprise "Alternatyva-Plus" (part of the influence orbit of the founder of the Mandarin Plaza Group, Vagif Aliyev) from purchasing a land plot at 5 Academician Glushkov Avenue.
This land asset is notable for being adjacent to the Ice Stadium, on the territory of which Aliyev intends to build the largest shopping and entertainment center (SEC) in Ukraine. Apparently, the mentioned enterprise simply "changed its mind" about privatization, since three years ago the Kyiv City Council agreed to the "Alternatyva-Plus" extension of the lease of this land for another 5 years.
It became known that on November 24, 2022, the Kyiv City Council refused the private enterprise "Alternatyva-Plus" in the sale of a land plot at 5 Academician Glushkov Avenue in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv.
The corresponding draft decision No. 08/231-3938/PR dated December 20, 2019, was supported by 65 deputies in the session hall of the Kyiv City Council. The submission entities of this document were the deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) and the Department of Land Resources of the KCSA.
The plot in question has an area of 1.18 hectares with the intended purpose "for the construction, operation, and maintenance of a hotel-office-commercial complex with service facilities and an underground parking lot" (cadastral number - 8000000000:79:392:0053). This land is rented by the "Alternatyva-Plus" from the municipal community based on a lease agreement concluded with the Kyiv City Council back on May 24, 2007.
As stated in the approved draft decision, in October 2007, the mentioned enterprise applied to the city authorities with a petition for the sale of the land plot, after which it paid an advance payment for privatization in the amount of 4.5 million hryvnias (15% of the monetary valuation of the plot). However, the decision on the sale was never made.
The document approved by the Kyiv City Council does not report why this happened, but clarifies that the agreement of the refusal is related to the need "to comply with the land and urban planning legislation of Ukraine." Apparently, such wording hides the true reason — most likely, the private enterprise "Alternatyva-Plus" simply abandoned plans to buy this plot and decided to return their advance payment — such a condition is provided for in the refusal decision. For example, this is evidenced by the fact that shortly before the registration of this draft decision, on December 12, 2019, the Kyiv City Council extended the lease term for this land for another 5 years.
Recall, private enterprise "Alternatyva-Plus" together with LLC "Ukrsotsbudinvest" have plans to build on this and two adjacent plots with a total area of almost 2 hectares (leased by "Ukrsotsbudinvest") a multifunctional complex with congress hall premises, a press center, media center, and parking. Back in April 2020, the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture of the KCSA issued these companies (part of the influence orbit of the Mandarin Plaza Group founder, Azerbaijani businessman Vagif Aliyev) urban planning conditions and restrictions for the design of such construction.
All three mentioned plots are located next to the Ice Stadium on 9 Academician Glushkov Avenue — the very object that the municipal authorities in 2010 sold to LLC "Ukrsotsbudinvest" with the obligation of completion and occupies an area of 16.92 hectares. On its site, as Vagif Aliyev himself reported in 2021, the construction of the largest shopping and entertainment center (SEC) in Ukraine is planned — "Hippodrome Mall" (previously also mentioned as "Southern"). At the same time, in 2020 KyivVlada assumed that this SEC would also occupy the above-mentioned plots.
However, over the past years, "Ukrsotsbudinvest" has practically done nothing to implement this project, which is why the buildings of the Ice Stadium are deteriorating. This was one of the reasons for criticism from the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, which tried in court to "evict" this company from the territory of the Ice Stadium to later build a covered sports building of a training base with an attached pumping station on it. However, officials failed to prove to the court judges the validity of their claims.
The Department of Land Resources of the KCSA has been headed by Valentyna Pelykh since June 29, 2021 (served as acting head of this structure since April 2, 2021). From July 27, 2018, to April 1, 2021, this department was headed by Petro Olenych, who since April 2, 2021, holds the position of deputy head of the KCSA and oversees land and urban planning issues in Kyiv.
Ivan Kulyk