In Warsaw's Ochota district, the capital's Social Housing Association plans to build a housing complex based on the developer's lex. The law, passed in 2018, was met with fierce opposition from local governments. Why did the capital's City Hall decide to reach for this tool?
Lex Developer
Photo: City Hall of Warsaw
Warsaw TBS has begun the procedure for the implementation of its investment located on the corner of Grójecka and Stefan Banach streets. There would be nothing surprising about the local government entity's plans to build a housing development with services, if it weren't for the fact that it is reaching for a controversial legal solution. The law passed in 2018, commonly referred to as the Developer's Lex, was met with fierce opposition from local governments. The new legislation was supposed to make it easier for developers, and investments carried out under the speculative law do not have to comply with local zoning plans. This, on the one hand, was supposed to speed up the process of housing investment, also improving the implementation of the government's Mieszkanie+ program. On the other hand, there were legitimate concerns about the possibility of uncontrolled development of green areas and disruption of spatial order.
We have a new scandalous law passed with Law and Justice votes by the Sejm. Lex developer. If the Senate approves this law, we will have total chaos. It will be possible, unfortunately, to build in violation of zoning plans
- Rafal Trzaskowski
Local government reaches for controversial tool
photo: Office of the Capital City of Warsaw
Now the local government itself is reaching for this solution. Until February 23, 2021, there is time to submit comments on the announced plan to build a housing development on Grójecka Street. Detailed information on the consultation is available on the website of the Warsaw City Hall. The final decision will be made by a vote of the City Council. The choice of this procedure is related to the project's incompatibility with the local plan in terms of the number of parking spaces. The concept, which was developed later than the local law, provides for fewer parking spaces than required by the plan's provisions, as a result of new urban planning standards adopted by Warsaw. While the reason itself seems legitimate, the fact that it was decided to carry out the investment in the manner prescribed by the criticized law is controversial.
Housing, services, public space
photo: Office of the Capital City of Warsaw
The building, designed by JEMS Architekci, is a complex of four taller blocks connected by a common lower section. The tallest of these, located in the corner of the street, would accentuate an important location in this part of Warsaw, right next to the Banach Hall. The hall itself was replaced in 2015 by a new design for Zieleniak, which was also created by the JEMS studio.
Photo: Office of the City of Warsaw
The TBS project, which was selected through an architectural competition, envisages, in addition to apartments for rent, the construction of an urban plaza with greenery and a Memorial Chamber about the martyrdom of residents in the nearby Zieleniak Square during World War II. In the first floors, architects from JEMS Architekci studio have designed stores and service establishments. Provision has been made for nursery and kindergarten facilities to be located in the building. The service spaces and functions expected by residents were determined as a result of a dialogue process that took place in 2018. As part of it, three meetings were held with residents, a survey and on-call information points.
