Abesadze: Kaladze Is Being Sly About Riyke Development

Lawyer and former MP Irakli Abesadze claims that Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze is "being sly" regarding the development of the Riyke territory. According to Abesadze, Kaladze is trying to dull public attention to the harmful development of Riyke.

According to Abesadze, no hotel building project has been submitted to the city hall at this stage, and it should not have been. The issue of issuing a terms of reference for a detailed planning regulation for the development is under consideration. The official request and application have been uploaded to the website of the Urban and Transport Agency of the city hall.

According to him, the documents show that the owner is requesting the territory be developed with the status of Public-Business Zone 2 instead of a recreational zone. The requested construction volume is 67,761 square meters, which in this zone means a building of roughly 10 floors.

"At this stage, the "investor" is requesting the construction of a 67,761 sq.m. building without submitting the relevant documentation and studies," Abesadze writes. According to him, a decree signed by Irakli Kobakhidze already makes it known that a hotel will be located there, which also means the possibility of opening a casino, restaurants and other establishments.

The Tbilisi city hall has started proceedings on issuing a terms of reference for a detailed planning regulation for development in Riyke. Abesadze made the information public on October 27. The documentation names as the client Turkish businessman Omer Kirachi, who is the director of the LLC "Riyke Dom". The Riyke docks were owned by this LLC.

The total land area is 14,591 sq.m., while 67,761 sq.m. is indicated as the calculated area for the K2 coefficient. This does not mean the building cannot be larger than this area; this detail will become clear from the project submitted at the next stage. Apart from one file, no other documents or studies have been submitted at this stage.

According to Abesadze, the further development of the "Riyke docks" territory can only be its merger with Riyke Park. "The city hall must at least ensure a real, and not formal, public discussion of the "investor's" proposal and the broad involvement of specialists from all fields," he writes. Abesadze also published a photomontage on social media.

On October 29, Kaladze responded to the information Abesadze spread and accused him of spreading falsehoods. "You are deceiving your supporters. Nothing will remain hidden. We will issue a construction permit when a specific project arrives that will be consistent with the urban development of the city. Until then, stop spreading false information," Kaladze said.