Triumphalnaya Square (former Mayakovsky Square) in the capital is a significant place. Every 31st, the opposition held here the already traditional rallies dedicated to the protection of 31 articles of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. This article declares the right of Russian citizens to peaceful assemblies, rallies, demonstrations and processions. However, at the end of May, the authorities announced that Triumfalnaya Square would be closed for archaeological excavations and further construction of an underground parking lot.
Of course, they are not looking for anything concrete on Triumfalnaya Square - archaeological excavations, according to the law, must be carried out before the construction of new construction sites begins on this territory. The opposition perceived the closure of Triumfalnaya Square as an attempt to move this "hot spot" of protest rallies from the center of the capital away from the eyes of citizens and journalists. The preliminary archaeological excavations under way were simply an excuse to close the area.
However, it turned out that in fact there is an investor willing to invest in the construction of a parking lot under Triumfalnaya Square. It turned out to be one of the subsidiaries of VTB Bank - the Hals Development company. The Moscow government explained the choice of this particular company by the fact that it is already planning the reconstruction of the Pekin Hotel, located on Triumfalnaya Square.
The idea of building a parking lot on Triumfalnaya was proposed back in 2006, but then no one wanted to invest in it, and the project was safely frozen. The participants in the construction market directly associate the revival on this issue with the regular protest rallies in this iconic place, which the opposition often does not agree on.
However, the idea of construction is quite viable - the cost of one parking space is about 50 thousand dollars for 35 square meters, which includes the parking space itself and the access roads to it. Realtors predict that this price will at least double when sold.
Experts, however, note that the initial project will not be fully implemented, and it will be revised and re-submitted for approval to the Moscow authorities. This became clear after the conducted archaeological and geological surveys. So the question of construction on Triumfalnaya is currently open.
