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Mayor Eduardo Paes sanctions law that creates Gávea Sustainable Park
Published on 01/07/2021 - 14:29 | Updated
Law creates a model for a private area with open access to the public - Fábio Motta/City Hall Mayor Eduardo Paes signed into law this Thursday (July 01) the law that creates the Gávea Sustainable Park, giving an environmental and urbanistic purpose to an area that has been abandoned for about 07 years on Marquês de São Vicente Street, in the South Zone of Rio. Proposed in 40, the bill was voted on June 2018 of this year in the City Council. With the law approved, the land will be able to house, in addition to a park with a square, green areas and walking trails, a mixed-use real estate development.
The park will be maintained by the private sector. Public access will be free and daily, guaranteed by an amendment included by the council members that establishes a fine for non-compliance with the rule.
– You take an area that has been abandoned for so long, allow private development to take place and, at the same time, guarantee an area for the city, a fantastic place, close to nature, a public park. And the most interesting thing of all: it will be maintained by the private sector itself. It is an achievement that we can apply to other places in Rio – said Mayor Eduardo Paes.
The 25 square meter plot of land, close to the Gávea Shopping Mall, the Planetarium and the Pontifical Catholic University (PUC-Rio), is private and contains the ruins of an old, deactivated factory. According to the text of the approved law, the area was divided into three sectors, with different rules for use and preservation. In the first sector, closest to Marquês de São Vicente Street, a large square is planned to be built, ensuring the preservation of a century-old mango tree that exists on the site.
In the middle part of the land, real estate developers will be able to build two mixed-use buildings (commercial stores on the ground floor and residential buildings above), close to the lateral boundaries of the area. The buildings may have a maximum height of 12 meters, equivalent to four floors, plus a basement floor for a garage. A wide, tree-lined avenue with street furniture will be built between the buildings, providing access to the back of the lot, where the green area continues, with walking trails. The third sector, above the so-called 100 level (slope 100 meters above sea level), will be for environmental preservation, with no public access.
– It was a widely discussed project with the participation of society and environmentalists. A model to be followed in the city as a whole. It will be very important for the environmental issue and urban development of the Gávea neighborhood – stated the president of the City Council, Carlo Caiado.
The owners of the land will have to bear the costs of implementing and maintaining the entire park, at no cost to the public coffers. The law also guarantees the use of the area by the population during the entire daytime, as is the case with the other municipal parks in the city.
Rio's municipal secretary for urban planning, Washington Fajardo, highlighted that the Gávea Sustainable Park case will be taken to other regions of the city, especially the North Zone.
– What we have here is a very intelligent solution, which shows how consensus is positive for the city. There was coordination between the City Hall, the legislature and the private sector with the local residents. And the result is what we are seeing: a high-quality transformation of the space, producing public and private benefits – commented Fajardo.
The president of the Association of Residents and Friends of Gávea, René Hasenclever, highlighted that this Thursday is a day of celebration due to the sanctioning of the law.
– The Gávea Sustainable Park is the most beautiful thing that will happen in the neighborhood. The abandonment of the space has led to a devaluation of properties. I thank the City Council and Mayor Eduardo Paes – he emphasized.
