Earlier this year, construction of a two-story addition was completed along Kvartal's Turu tänav and Soola tänav sides. In the next stage of the expansion, the shopping center wants to build another two floors on top of its Aleksandri tänav side as well.

According to Kaire Krevald, a board member of the Kvartal-managing OÜ TTK Kultuurikeskus, the mall already has a valid building permit for adding another three stories to the Riia-Aleksandri corner of the building.

"Exactly how much we can build along Aleksandri tänav, beyond what the existing permit allows, will be determined during the planning procedure," she said.

The prospective additional stories would increase the overall height of the Aleksandri tänav side of the building by 10 meters, and add approximately 4,000 square meters of gross floor area.

Krevald noted that the additional floors are planned to include office space, for example.

Neighboring residents concerned

Standing opposite Kvartal Center along that street, however, is a four-story apartment building at Aleksandri 1. In a letter to the City of Tartu, members of the board of this building's apartment association expressed dissatisfaction with the neighboring mall's planned addition.

According to them, the planned additional floors are not in line with the city's comprehensive plan.

Deputy Mayor Elo Kiivet, however, stated that Tartu's comprehensive plan does permit the addition of up to three more stories to the mall's existing building volume, including along its Soola tänav and Aleksandri tänav sides.

"In developing Kvartal, it has essentially always been taken into account that it would be built in stages," she explained. "With an initial volume that would then be expanded if possible."

Members of the Aleksandri 1 apartment association believe that a taller neighboring building will also worsen lighting conditions in the apartment building's living spaces, making it impossible to ensure the recommended levels of natural daylight in all of its apartments.

The deputy mayor noted that this is an understandable concern and has already been communicated to Kvartal Center representatives.

For the purpose of deciding whether or not to initiate the detailed planning process, developers will have to clarify a few things in their application, she added.

"The initiation application has been submitted, and the initial sketches included with the application will now be refined, as will the light analysis," the deputy mayor said. "After this, the city will make a decision on how and whether to initiate this detailed plan."

The City of Tartu is slated to make a decision regarding Kvartal's detailed planning procedure within this year.

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