Sat, Jul 04 2009
Spanish and Bulgarian investors announced plans to build a new mixed-use compound in the vicinity of Sofia's central railway station, SeeNews corporate wire reported on June 5.
The complex, to be named Five Towers of Sofia, is estimated to cost 400 million euro, Krassimir Todorov of Source consultancy told SeeNews. The figure is an update from original plans because prices for construction of office buildings and retail sites has risen since conception of the project.
The complex, with a total built area of 525 000 sq m, should be operational by the end of 2012. The complex would have 360 000 sq m of residential space and 40 000 sq m of commercial and retail space. The remainder would be office space.
Investors in the project are Bulgaria's Techno Residential Park and Spain's Urbas Guadahermosa.
Urbas is one of a string of Spanish investors to have expressed interest in Bulgaria's real estate market. Another is Riofisa, which has also invested in a real estate project off the Railway Station.
The project will be financed by the Bulgarian Bank for Development, and the Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas, or Jessica Programme, although the report has so far failed to reveal the total cost of the vast enterprise.
The strategic plan envisages the conservation of the nature "for decades ahead", and it was formulated by a municipal team headed by professor Ivan Nikiforov, backed by Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev.
Once the overhaul and reconstruction of the Sofia–Vidin line is complete, it will cut travel time to three hours, as the train will be able to reach speeds of up to 160 km/h, shortening the journey to three hours.
Marriott however has made it clear that is not interested in investing in construction, but rather to occupy and manage existing buildings. Its strategy is to obtain management contracts.
Investors realise that it’s not viable to have a building remaining empty over the course of a year – so it's better for them to employ more flexibility to offset that loss.