A taller than planned building draws ire of Tallinn apartment association

The apartment association of Ahtri 6a opposes Tallinn's plan to allow the construction of an 11-story building on the current bus parking lot at Hobujaama. According to the existing detailed plan, only an eight-story building is permitted. The city government argues that increasing the population density in the city center is necessary.
The Tallinn city government initiated a detailed plan last November for Hobujaama 12, Hobujaama 14 and the surrounding area, which envisions replacing the current bus parking lot with a park developed by the city and buildings constructed by the developer PalmGrupp. According to the plan, buildings of up to 11 stories may be constructed along Ahtri tänav.
The existing detailed plan, however, allows for a nine-story commercial building with a bus terminal and an eight-story commercial-residential building on the site.
The proposed taller building has caused dissatisfaction among residents of the nearby Ahtri 6a property. On their behalf, attorney Kristjan Kers from Emerald Legal sent a letter to the Tallinn Urban Planning Department.
Kers pointed out that Ahtri 6a was built and apartments and commercial spaces purchased with the understanding that neighboring buildings could be no taller than eight stories. He argued that the construction of a taller building would violate his client's right to legitimate expectations and would block a significant portion of sunlight from reaching the adjacent Admirali building.
Kers further noted that the higher building would reduce sunlight for neighboring properties. "Without a compelling justification, it is not lawful to significantly reduce access to sunlight, even if the reduction meets the established standards," he wrote.
He referenced a 2015 ruling by the Tartu Circuit Court, which stated that "if a person's living quarters have received sunlight year-round for years, it is not permissible to reduce natural light to the standard minimum — three hours per day from April 22 to August 22 — without a compelling reason."
Kers also expressed concern over the fact that the new plan only takes into account the sunlight reaching residential units on the ninth floor and above. "However, considering only the duration of sunlight in residential spaces is not in accordance with current substantive law or case law," he emphasized.
"From a practical standpoint, natural daylight is even more important for office spaces than for residential spaces," Kers added. "This is because people are present in office spaces during daylight hours, whereas most residential spaces are typically empty during the day when people are at work."
According to the apartment association's 2022 annual report, the building contains 34 apartments.
Tallinn points to need for denser city center living
Kristi Grišakov, head of detailed planning at the Tallinn Urban Planning Department, told ERR that the new plan reflects the city's current development goals, while the existing detailed plan has become outdated.
"According to today's development goals, it is important to increase both population density and greenery in the city center. Building residential and commercial spaces in centrally located areas with good accessibility places a significantly lower burden on the city's road network, brings residents to the city center, potentially reduces transit traffic and encourages walking and cycling," Grišakov said.
She explained that the city's urban development vision for this area has changed accordingly.
"Many apartment buildings and businesses have already been planned and built in the surrounding area. The new plan no longer foresees the need for a bus parking lot on this site. Instead, a large park covering 70 percent of the property is planned," Grišakov stated.
Regarding the specific 11-story building, Grišakov emphasized that the neighboring buildings were taken into account.
"The building heights near Hobujaama 12 and 14 vary. The planned 11-story building will stand next to another existing 11-story building. The placement of the new buildings considers the heights of the existing ones and they are designed with varying heights and sections to ensure sufficient sunlight reaches the apartments in neighboring buildings," she explained.
The new detailed plan was initiated in July 2021 by PalmGrupp, which owns half of the area. The city of Tallinn and PalmGrupp were unable to reach an agreement on implementing the previous detailed plan, which had been in place for nearly 15 years.
The other half of the plot is owned by the city and a large city park is planned for the area where buses currently park, Deputy Mayor Madle Lippus (SDE) said in November.
The detailed plan for the Hobujaama 12 and Hobujaama 14 properties and the surrounding area (hereafter referred to as the detailed plan) covers a section of the city center's Sadama district, situated between Hobujaama tänav, Ahtri tänav, Narva maantee and Jõe tänav, at the corner of Hobujaama and Ahtri.

--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Marcus Turovski