Office buildings to be developed near Tartu train station
Tartu city council last week approved a detailed plan for offices and residential buildings on the Tiigi tänav 67 plot near Tartu Railway Station.
Currently, the plot is covered by a parking lot, but according to the plan, there will eventually be up to five office and residential buildings. Tartu deputy mayor Reno Laidre said the area is already densely built up and the extensive development is an exemption.
"This Tiigi 67 is a large unit of land, which can be beautiful and dominant architecturally but will also shape the future of this region's life and appearance. Who are the people that move around here, what are the services you can consume here," Laidre said.
Developer Tiigi Invest bought the plot in 2010 and organized an architecture contest in 2016 with architectural bureau 3+1 taking the contest with their "Hoov" project. The name of the winning project ("Yard") hints at there being a courtyard on the plot with landscaping, which the new buildings will surround. Tiigi Invest representative Toomas Türn said the buildings must now be designed and anchor tenants must be found.
"It is not reasonable to start constructing a building from zero without potential tenants. If we have an anchor tenant who will also provide input, their own desires, then we can start designing. There is no point to just building up an empty box," Türn said.
He added that 75 percent of the plot will be made up of office spaces. The developer is looking for service providers who are willing to sign long-term rent agreements. "The first building could be completed by the end of 2023 or the third quarter, at least," Türn added.
The developer will also construct the surrounding street space and will then hand it over to the city. "The city's greatest public interest is not directly related to the building's functions, but rather Vaksali tänav," deputy mayor Reno Laidre said.
"The city wants to get 537 square meters of the land with it having landscaping and we will develop a light path. This public space will be used, not only by the property's users, but everyone moving around in the area. The Vaksal building (train station - ed) brings people across Estonia to the region," he said.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste
