Moscow is imposing height restrictions on high-rise construction

11.04.2012

Moscow is imposing height restrictions on high-rise construction

Modern Moscow is developing so rapidly that its image is changing before our very eyes. But not always for the better. The skyline of the new high-rise buildings is distorting the familiar silhouette of the city rising over the historic buildings. Under public pressure, Moscow authorities periodically introduce preservation measures that do not allow the capital to lose the remnants of its authenticity. One of these measures is a restriction on the height of buildings.
Of course, the restrictions will not affect all the areas of Moscow, mainly the center – the so-called zone of the regulated development. "For each block, we determine our permitted height of buildings. In general, there should not be any buildings taller than 75 m in the area of ​​regulated development," – said Aleksander Kibovskiy, head of the city's Cultural Heritage Department.
The officials are confident that their initiative will help avoid damaging the architectural perspectives of the city and the historical urban build-up. And what do the developers think about this? We asked two questions:

Is it really necessary to introduce height restrictions in the capital?

How painful will this be for the development business?

Sergei Migunov, Head of the Marketing and Development Department at the Konti Group:

1. High-rise construction overloads all the systems of the city. First of all, the transportation system as it increases population density, traffic intensity with an obvious shortage of parking spaces. The second problem is the overload of the city's utility systems, which requires increasing capacities. The social infrastructure is also overloaded: the need to build new schools, medical clinics, etc.

The current height restriction initiative is not something new as previous initiatives indirectly affected the height restriction issue. For example, the current development rules for Moscow significantly increased the number of parking spaces per square meter of living space. This restricts the developer in building high-rises: it is common knowledge that the construction of parking spaces, especially underground parking, is a significant financial burden on a project. The restriction under discussion is only a link in the chain of initiatives and reforms conducted by the current Moscow Administration.

2. It will complicate the implementation and reduce the profitability of development projects. I wouldn't say that it will have a fatal impact on the market as such initiatives lead to more civilized forms of urban development. In the long run, they will force developers to regard the details of a project more seriously at all its stages.

 

Real estate and prices, Moscow, April 8, 2012 http://realty.dmir.ru/articles/32120/