(integraal Engelstalig persbericht) On April 27th 2012 the Consortium of Multi Development Poland Sp. z o.o. and Multi Corporation signed the Shareholders Agreement with the Municipality of Gdańsk regarding development of the area of Hay and Crayfish Market in Gdańsk.
After signing the Preliminary Agreement - Shareholders Agreement and Articles of Association on October 14th 2010, MDP received a positive opinion of the Architectural-Urban Concept by the Pomeranian Historic Preservation Officer (PHPO) in December 2011. Multi also concluded the Settlement with the companies from PKP Group (Polish Railways).
The competition for the development of Hay and Crayfish Market was announced by the Mayor of Gdansk in September 2009. Multi was selected by the City out of 12 developers. The investment, under the name of Forum Radunia, is located in the very heart of historical Gdańsk, one of the most important cities in Poland. With 456,000 inhabitants, it is the sixth most populated city in Poland and part of the TriCity agglomeration of 1.2 million inhabitants. Forum Radunia, due to its central location, will provide direct access through the Integration Hub in Armii Krajowej Street to the planned new bus and tram stops as well as the stops of the Fast Urban Railway. The investment will encompass the area of 5.5 ha.
“This investment will completely change the Hay and Crayfish Markets. It will change Gdansk itself. A totally unique and
appealing city center will be created which will refer to the history. I am happy that such an experienced and credible
company like Multi is our partner. I am convinced that together we will meet the expectations of the Gdansk people.”
– says Mr. Paweł Adamowicz, Mayor of Gdańsk.
The main goal of the development is to revitalize and strengthen the inner-city of Gdańsk by creating a multifunctional downtown city centre, connecting retail, entertainment, culture, services and office space as well as a car park accessible for public. The Concept, by Multi’s in-house architectural design company T+T Design, recovers historical urban lines and integrates the monumental Radunia Canal. In this way the history of Gdańsk is part of the new development. T+T Design’s plan is based on a combination and integration of individual buildings, streets and squares, all developed with the high quality that Multi’s inner-city projects are known and awarded for.
A crucial part of the whole investment is to also accomplish the public objectives; such as construction of Heritage of Pomeranian Region Museum Building, development and modernization of technical and road infrastructure that will improve the existing and future passageway of two significant and crucial interchanges and construction of Nowe Podwale Grodzkie street.
The PKP Fast Urban Railway in Tri-City will build a new stop, with a working name Gdansk Srodmiescie, so as to provide
direct access to the public space including squares and boulevards which will be created. Development of the Platform
over the railway tracks is expected to be one of the most impressive undertakings in the project.
“It is an important and good project for PKP which gives the commercial opportunities for development of rail properties in the centers of big cities. The preparation of the project for the development of the area of Hay and Crayfish Market was
one of the most difficult that faced the PKP companies. Unfavorable legal conditions, restrictive security regulations and
the necessity of synchronizing the works conducted by the railways’ authorities were a great challenge for the negotiating
parties. The documents signed today crown almost five-year period of cooperation between PKP and authorities of Gdansk
on this large scale project. I’m happy of the success of these negotiations and of the fact that besides the realization of the
project a new section of Fast Urban Railway and a Gdansk Srodmiescie passenger stop will be created. It’s a good step
for the development of railways in Poland and creating its positive image”, says director Teresa Pyzik, a property proxy for
the PKP Board .
“I am very happy that the years devoted to the negotiations are finally being finalized by signing the Settlement with PKP
Group and Shareholders Agreement with the City. I strongly believe that together we will succeed in building a new stop for
the Fast Urban Railway in Gdansk” – says Mr. Maciej Lignowski, President of the Board, Fast Urban Railway in Tri-City. The Hay and Crayfish Market is to become a new large-scale centre of Gdańsk, a direct extension of the existing historical
city integrating historical Gdansk with the rest of the inner city and its administrative part.
“We believe Forum Radunia is a very important project for the City of Gdańsk. The inner-city is currently more for tourists
and should, after the realization of Forum Radunia, be a place where local citizens of Gdańsk will meet, relax, shop, use
and a place they can identify with” – says Ronald Dasbach, Multi’s Managing Director for Central and Eastern Europe.
”We are very happy that the City and its officials recognized the importance of this project and developed the vision and
strategy for the innercity. We would also like to thank the PKP for enormous contribution to this project”.
The Project will be realized in two phases. The first phase will be completed by 2015/2016, whereas the realization of the
whole investment is planned for year 2020. In the first stage the Platform over the railway tracks with multi-storey car park
accessible for public and a Shopping Center with leasable area of ca. 45,000m2 will be realized. Simultaneously the public
works will be conducted including museum building, roads and other infrastructure. The second phase encompasses the
construction of an office park above the railway.
“Gdańsk has been our target since Multi started in Poland”, says Tomasz Matusiak, Managing Director of Multi
Development Poland. “It is a place of great potential that deserves unique public space where history and modern times
are woven together in harmony”.