A new residential building will be built in the center of Almaty, on the legendary Tulebayev Street. Information about this appeared in November 2019, when a possible sketch of the project was published on social networks, about which many opinions were voiced.

"Residents of neighboring houses were divided into two camps: some residents opposed, referring to the president's previously announced instruction to ban spot development of the southern capital, while the other part of residents agreed to the construction of residential buildings with modern landscaping of the common courtyard."

We talked with the president of SABA GROUP KZ construction holding Yerzhan Abdikadirov about how the project has changed and what it is now:

The land plot was purchased at the end of 2019. Why was the historical center of the city chosen?

The historic city center was chosen due to its high attractiveness for living in the city. The land plot was on free sale, we can offer the residents of the city excellent conditions for living, so we bought it.

What did the project originally look like? Number, number of floors of houses, landscaping area?

Initially, the project provided for two nine-story houses, as we focused on the neighboring nine-story building. That is, the new houses would not be higher than the existing ones. The project also provided for a green area and recreation areas.

You got the consent of the residents of the nearest houses, but not all of them agreed. Is there a percentage of divided opinions? Who would be against it and why? What were the conditions set by those who were in favor?

Yes, we got the consent of the majority of the residents of the two neighboring houses. Some residents of the nine-story building opposed the construction of nine-story new buildings, they insisted on the construction of less high-rise buildings. As far as I remember, eighty percent of the residents were unequivocally "for", 10% reacted to the project neutrally, another 10% were sharply against. But on the agenda " against”, I note, there was only the number of floors. Now the project has been radically changed taking into account the wishes of the residents of neighboring houses.

How exactly is it changed?

The project has changed dramatically. So the number of floors and the number of buildings is reduced. Instead of two nine-storey buildings, it is now planned to build one five-storey house along Tulebayev Street. This decision was made in order to preserve the historical appearance of the district and to place the building strictly in accordance with the existing development, as well as to expand the landscaping area, increasing the yard area to accommodate a football field, a fountain and a spacious playground.

The building, according to its architectural appearance, will correspond to the neighboring ones. In terms of height, the building will correspond to 5-6-storey residential buildings located on the east side of Tulebayev Street. As a result, all the buildings will be symmetrical to each other. The new house will not stand out from the general background, neither in height nor in appearance, it will be located parallel to the movement of the air mass and will not block the air flow.

In addition to increasing the green area and improving the playground, which goes without saying, we intend to turn the yard area free of development into a local attraction: exotic green spaces are provided, the territory will have its own amphitheater and a comfortable recreation area with a fountain, there will be places for sports. All these amenities will be created not only for the residents of the house, but also for the residents of neighboring houses, as well as guests of the city.

The project was suspended due to the pandemic, but the scandal around it broke out earlier. In the network there were photos of sketches of future houses. How did this happen?

The initial project was photographed by one of the public figures in the printing house and posted on the social network. I think there was a misunderstanding. We are as open to dialogue as possible, but then no one asked us about anything: evil developers, of course, disfigure the city.

Some residents of the central districts of old Almaty (or should I say "old Almaty"?), it seems to me, do not want to change their usual way of life, even if it will lead to positive changes, improvement of infrastructure. Public activists are in favor of preserving the historical appearance of the city, and we support this position, we are ready to listen, to meet them halfway. However, there are few constructive proposals from activists to solve the problems associated with the historical heritage. At the same time, the shrill - " do not touch!"- refers not only to the houses that make up the architectural portrait of the city, but also to vacant lots, dilapidated houses, shabby entrances, emergency sewers that have not been repaired for many years. The KSK fund is formed from the accumulation of residents, they cannot provide major repairs on their own. The construction holding undertakes to do this free of charge. The city is changing before our eyes for the better, changes in the center will also benefit everyone.

There were many cases when the whole city stood up against some projects. Why didn't you start the information work about the project in advance?

For a very long time, we could not come to a compromise decision on this project with the executive authorities, we were ready to sell the plot we had previously purchased and abandon the project, but the local budget does not provide funds for the purchase of such plots from the developer. As a result, it was decided to build the house ourselves.

What kind of house will it be? How many apartments?

The house is designed for 40 apartments. At the same time, the number of parking spaces is several times higher than the number of apartments, which makes it possible for residents of neighboring houses to completely solve the problems of this area with parking.

To make the project fit into the urban ensemble and not harm anything, have you consulted with architects, urbanists?

Of course, we took into account the opinion of not only the residents themselves, but also the architects, for example, we consulted with Nurlan Kamitov. Taking into account the wishes of all the experts, we decided to preserve the architectural style of the Brezhnev-Kunaev period, as far as possible.

What social obligations does the company assume when implementing the project?

It happens that local city authorities simply do not have enough funds for such important things as repairing facades or replacing engineering networks.

Our construction holding, as a social burden, will take on such works as replacing the roof on the roofs and repairing the sewage system in the basements, redecorating the entrances and ennobling the facades of nearby houses, landscaping the territory and installing playgrounds.

The Mayor's Office will be able to use the saved funds for other socially significant projects.

In addition, next to the site there is a metro ventilation shaft, the design of the conservation of which has already been carried out at the expense of the developer. We are also ready to take part in its actual conservation.

What part does your company take in the greening of the city?

We carry out landscaping on all objects. We are for the "green city", we fully support the initiative of the head of state and the Mayor's Office. For example, within the framework of the "Zhasyl Almaty" program, we have started planting 500 trees in the city of Almaty, and this is just the beginning.

Source: zakon.kz