Tallinn deputy mayor suggests Old Town property sell-offs amid vacancies
The City of Tallinn is weighing the future of dilapidated Old Town properties, with a deputy mayor suggesting sales of some municipal buildings.
One city planner has urged better stewardship of the historic properties, arguing ownership gives Tallinn influence over Old Town development.
Deputy Mayor of Tallinn Tiit Terik (Center) said the city is weighing up selling properties that have long been vacant and untenanted. Properties being vacant over time can lead to a situation which can accelerate the dilapidation process, often internally and not always apparent from the street outside.
The City of Tallinn owns over 65,000 square meters of property in the Old Town, about two-thirds of which is leased out, according to Terik.
"Roughly a third of that space is used by the city itself. The premises the city does not need for carrying out its duties have been leased to private companies. Most of them are retail and catering spaces," Terik said.
With the economic situation as it is, there are plenty of vacancies seen in Old Town commercial properties, too. Terik put the figure of city-owned vacant rental units at 20.
Kaarel Truu, an Old Town specialist at the City of Tallinn's planning department, said that while the economic climate and a fall in tourism are undoubtedly factors in the relatively high number of vacancies, there are other variables at play too, mostly relating to wide variation in the condition of properties.
"Often the reason is the condition of the buildings renders them unusable. Years of neglect have caused the maintenance backlog to grow so large that major investment is needed before the building can be used. A typical example of damage is when some kind of accident occurs but goes unnoticed, as the premises stand empty," he explained.
Terik said this neglect partly relates to a lack of city funds – and that the city itself is at least weighing up selling such properties.
"It is entirely appropriate to consider selling them so they can get a new owner and be restored through that owner's investment," the deputy mayor put it.
The City of Tallinn's Old Town development plan also states a highly considered rental policy for municipal premises should be put in place too; the plan stresses that use of city-owned real estate in the Old Town should be guided more by its value than by profits.
In this aspect, Truu argued that the city should instead become a more responsible owner rather than selling off Old Town properties wholesale.
"We need to be a better steward. The fact that the city owns property in Tallinn's Old Town is fundamentally a good thing. It should provide an opportunity to influence, among other things, what activities take place in those premises, select tenants and so on," Truu said, noting some city and public administration belongs in the Old Town and moving it out would not be ideal.
Ultimately, while the Old Town is a magnet for tourists, it is also a place where people live, and this gave Truu cause for optimism.
"The goal is for the Old Town to remain a vibrant urban environment. It could function better, but even now the Old Town is by no means abandoned," Truu noted.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Liisa Kukk, Märten Hallismaa, Andrew Whyte