Tallinn greenlights EELK high-rise detailed plan in Maakri Quarter

Tallinn has approved a detailed plan, in process since 2014, granting the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELK) the right to construct a high-rise building with up to 36 floors in the central Maakri Quarter.
The city government on Tuesday approved the detailed plan for the area between Lennuki, Liivalaia, Lauteri and Maakri streets, which had been under review for more than a decade. The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELK) plans to construct a high-rise building at Maakri tänav 29.
According to the plan, the land use designation is set at up to 50 percent residential and at least 50 percent commercial. The building's maximum permitted height is 120 meters above ground level, equivalent to up to 36 above-ground floors. The design also allows for up to four underground floors. The building is planned to house up to 126 apartments and 182 parking spaces.
An architectural competition must be organized to determine the building's design.
The strategic environmental impact assessment noted that, although a 70 percent increase in traffic volume may seem significant, it would not substantially affect the street's capacity. For instance, whether there are 197 or 293 cars per hour would not make a notable difference and no traffic issues are anticipated in the area between Maakri, Lennuki and Kuke streets.
The traffic study suggested converting the intersection of Maakri and Lennuki streets into a roundabout to reduce vehicle speeds on Maakri tänav.
The initiation of the detailed plan was requested in January 2014 by Mati Maanas, a representative of EELK. Later that year, the city government launched the drafting of the plan.
The management and development of the church's real estate is handled by OÜ Kiriku Varahaldus, a company that also owns property under its management.
Jüri Parbo, director of Kiriku Varahaldus, told ERR that considerable effort had gone into the approval of the detailed plan.
"We are very pleased that the plan has been approved. Our next step will be to organize an architectural competition," he said.
Parbo added that the construction timeline and estimated costs for the building will be determined after the competition is completed.
The building will be constructed and financed by Kiriku Varahaldus in collaboration with contractor Fund Ehitus.
In addition to the high-rise in Maakri, Kiriku Varahaldus is currently developing a residential building on Kristiina tänav, a commercial building on Tartu maantee and a project in Haapsalu.
The company's rental portfolio includes commercial spaces at Kentmanni 6, Tatari 25, Maakri 29, Tehnika 115, Lastekodu 6a in Tallinn and Rakvere 8 in Jõhvi, as well as several apartments in Tallinn. It also manages properties at Kiriku plats 3 and Magdaleena 12 in Tallinn.
According to last year's financial report, Kiriku Varahaldus had a net profit of €31,939, with retained earnings totaling just under €2 million. The company's total assets were valued at just under €9 million.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski