“The city doesn’t want to take our money, only spend it.” The property is being demolished

In September, residents of Nõhja-Tallinn discovered notices about imminent demolition on the doors of garages that had been in use for many decades. The district government demanded that things be evacuated from the boxes within two weeks.

The garages behind the house at Teestuse Street 58, separating it from the railway to the Paljassaare peninsula, were built half a century ago – most of them originally belonged to a store operating at the same address. Then the garages at Hundipea, 4 and 6 came under the control of the then Soviet army – and the military allowed the residents of the house to dispose of them free of charge. The Estonian Defense Forces, which inherited the property after the restoration of independence, were also in no hurry to drive away the users. And in 2016, the garages were transferred to the ownership of the city and came under the control of the Nõhja-Tallinn government.

However, for many years the status quo remained between the council and the actual users of the garages. But this fall, a message from the owner appeared on the boxes: “The building is worn out, is in poor condition and may pose a threat to people’s lives and property. Due to its poor condition, we are demolishing it. Public parking spaces are planned on the territory.”

• The residents of Teestuse 58 invested thousands of euros in the repair and maintenance of their garages, but the garages were never formally their property. Photo: Liz Treimann

Boxes of discord

According to Oleg Bokhonko, chairman of the Teestuse 58 apartment association, users categorically disagree with the argument about the emergency and dangerous condition of the facility. According to him, for years the residents invested their own money in the maintenance of the boxes – they waterproofed the roof and strengthened the masonry. Behind the garages, but also on city land, the partnership planted thujas to fence in the rest of the yard and installed a playground. At the same time, cars were no longer placed in garages; they were mainly used as additional storage rooms.

The chairman of the association admits that the residents’ rights to use the boxes are illusory – the previous residents really did not take care of privatizing them in a timely manner. “I just don’t understand – why demolish them? To what? We are talking about spending real city money, depriving us of garages and in no way improving the life of the area now. We suggested: sell them to us, lease them to us, but don’t demolish them. But no, the city doesn’t want our money. Just spend it.”

• A number of garage boxes also separate the residential building from the railway to the Paljasaare industrial area. Photo: Liz Treimann

According to Bokhonko, at meetings with government officials, in addition to the dangerousness of the boxes, they were given other arguments – the need to develop the area, including the expansion of the nearby Hundipea street. The latter in the future may become an important transport artery for the eco-quarter of the same name, which is being designed on the territory of the former industrial zones of the Paljassaare peninsula.

Demolish, cannot be used

“These are real estate and buildings owned by the city, and it cannot be considered justified that anyone uses this property without a legal basis and for free, even if he has been doing so for a long time,” said Violetta Lanman, communications specialist at Nõhja municipality. Tallinn – It was decided to demolish the buildings to ensure a safer and more comfortable urban environment, since the buildings are worn out, spoil the cityscape, and waste is stored around them, the cleaning of which must be organized by the district government. In the long term, Hundypea 4 will obstruct the construction of Hundypea Street, and Hundypea 6 will be in the center of the planned green area.”

• The district government insists on the urgent demolition of the garages. Nõhja-Tallinn also communicates with box users through printed advertisements. Photo: Liz Treimann

According to Lanman, users were first informed about the impending demolition shortly after the boxes came into the possession of Tallinn – in 2017. “Users submitted an application with a desire to rent or buy premises. The city planning department refused to sell the site because the area plays a role in the future development of Hundipea and in the creation of infrastructure. According to the master plan for Nõhja-Tallinn being developed, it is planned to build a street, a green zone and a public space in this area in the future,” explained the representative of the council.

Oleg Bokhonko confirms that the preferred option for residents would be to buy out the property “at a fair price”—the cadastral valuation of 2016 became the guideline for the partnership. Then the boxes were valued at a little more than 71,000 euros. Also, users would be satisfied with leasing – until the city needs the land, not in the future, but in reality.

“The option of temporarily renting premises for users was considered, but for this it is necessary to ensure equal opportunities for everyone who wants to participate in the auction and transparent use of public property,” Lanman explained. “This means that the winner of the auction may not be the current user of the premises. To rent out or sell through a public auction, it was also necessary to first vacate the premises. This would provide the opportunity for the district government to display them to everyone, and in the event that the current user does not become the winner of the auction, it would guarantee the transfer in empty form to the winner.” According to the official, the residents refused this option themselves.

“Indeed, we were told about this. That there might be someone who would rent these garages and open, say, a tire shop there. Of course, we would not be happy about this at all,” says Bokhonko. At the same time, he asks the question: is it fair that long-term actual users do not have the right of preferential lease? Also, the chairman of the apartment association insists that there was no formal refusal from the auction, but only an emotional discussion of this option, with its pros and cons.

In the response from the Far East, the municipality of Nõhja-Tallinn states its position categorically: “Today’s illegal garage users already have a storage building belonging to their apartment building, where each apartment has its own storage room, and there is no reason to believe that they also require additional garage on public land.”

As the district administration informed the Far East, a tender for demolition was held in September of this year. The winner was Eldostar OÜ. According to the latest notice posted on garage doors, dismantling is scheduled for October 25th. In it, Nõhja-Tallinn warns users that if they do not take their belongings from the boxes before the arrival of the equipment, the belongings will be sent to a warehouse, where a fee will be charged to the owners for their storage.

Martin Häel: I have nothing to do with it

Although the district government explains the demolition of the garages as part of the future development of the Hundipea district, its developer and project manager Markus Häel does not entirely agree with this point of view. “Probably the truth is that the demolition of these garages should not be associated with us,” he said in a commentary to DV.

As Häel explained, the planned quarter will be built on the territory of the Paljassaare port. The detailed planning of the part of the territory closest to Hundipea Street, on the other side of the railway, along Lume Street, has not even begun yet, and may change significantly in the future. “It is now difficult to comment on the future of Hundipea Street, which is located outside our area, as well as the demolition of garages in this place,” the businessman said.