You're reading: Activists say developer illegally added 5 floors in historic Podil

The center of Kyiv’s historic Podil district is at risk of destruction, allegedly because one developer failed to do its due diligence.

Atop Kontraktova Ploshcha Metro station stands the Podil Prestige residential complex, a sagging, yellow-and-brown 13-story monolith that was completed three years ago but is still not in use.

Podil activists and local city council members allege that the developer illegally added five floors to the apartment complex, placing the building at risk of collapse and threatening the surrounding area.

“It could be dangerous,” said Pavlo Kaliuk, a Podil activist. “The building destroys the integrity of our neighborhood. Podil is a historical area, and we need to preserve that.”

Building follies

The Podil Prestige complex stands on Nizhny Val Street, next to one of the entrances to the Kontraktova Ploshcha metro station.

Construction began on the complex in 2009, for an original eight-story building.

But the heart of the controversy lies in what happened next — the developer added five extra floors to the building, allegedly rendering it structurally unsound while leaving it as a towering eyesore over Podil’s historic skyline.

Former Kyiv chief architect Sergey Tselovalnik railed against the development for adding the extra floors. “It’s a barbaric violation of the requirements of the law,” he said.

The building also violates municipal Podil ordinances which keep buildings at low heights in an effort to preserve the neighborhood’s historical character.

The five floors are easily visible on what has come to be known as Podil’s “monster house” — they jut out from what looks like the natural plain of the building’s roof into the skyline above Podil.

“It destroys the horizon,” said Kaliuk.

Should the building be put into use, it could collapse inwards on itself, destroying the metro line that runs beneath.

The damage would cost millions of dollars, not including the destruction of the center of one of Kyiv’s most well-preserved historical areas.

The Podil Prestige apartment complex stands on the corner of Kostantynivska and Nyhzny Val in June 2015, after a court put a stay on the building amid an outcry from Podil activists.

The Podil Prestige apartment complex stands on the corner of Kostantynivska and Nyhzny Val in June 2015, after a court put a stay on the building amid an outcry from Podil activists. (source)

Developer

The developer is a legal entity called Pateli Leasing, which owns other buildings in the Podil area. Podil Leasing is owned by a woman named Fedora Pateli. Pateli did not reply to a request for comment. Numbers listed for Pateli Leasing were disconnected.

Activists allege that Pateli is a front for corrupt officials from the era of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled power on Feb. 22, 2014, amid the popular uprising known as the EuroMaidan Revolution.

Ending the schemes?

According to Kaliuk and others, the danger motivated them to protest the building, supporting cases in court to first freeze the development and then remove the extra floors.

In 2015, the activists — with the help of lawyers from the Kyiv city government — won a court victory when a judge put a stay on the building, freezing it and preventing it from going into use.

From there, they moved to have the illegal five floors demolished.

A Kyiv city deputy – Olha Balytska – has helped by filing official requests on the activists’ behalf.

But Aleksandr Voronyuk, an attorney for the activists, said that the building’s “investors” have attempted to restart control of the building via a new scheme: by using supposed property rights obtained from their investment in the building’s construction, they have tried to use their right to the property of separate apartments in the complex.

“It’s a method of pressure,” Voronyuk said. “It’s not likely they’ll be able to use the building.”

Kaliuk said that while activists are trying to take down the remaining five floors, the court case has all but stalled.

“Kyiv has really changed, but we can still save Podil,” he said.