Salò Approves Redevelopment of Fiamma Cinema and Supermarket Projects

The Salò City Council has approved a series of building projects. We have already discussed the land development for Villa-Burago (27,500 cubic meters, equivalent to about one hundred apartments, including 25 for the municipality). This time, let’s look at the redevelopment plans for the former Soliani supermarket and the former Fiamma cinema.

Redevelopment of the Former Fiamma Cinema and Other Projects

The latter has been closed for several years. The owners were supposed to upgrade it according to new regulations (electrical and fire safety systems, sanitary facilities), which would have required a significant expenditure. Instead, the prevailing idea was to transfer it to Giancarlo Biondo, one of the region’s most important entrepreneurs (he has built in Sirmione, Padenghe, Manerba, Brescia city, Salò, etc.).

Biondo and his son Mauro have submitted multiple proposals. The most recent, from Desenzano-based Giuliano Visconti, received majority approval. The opposition abstained. A three-story building with a porch will be constructed. The total volume of 5,424 cubic meters will be less than the current structure.

Mostly residential (about twenty units), with the remaining space designated for commercial use. A public parking lot with 22 spaces and a private parking lot with around twenty spaces will be located on the surface and in the two underground floors. Since standard areas to be sold were not available, the Biondo family requested to monetize 1,154 square meters.

The technical office decided to charge them 220,000 lire per square meter, slightly below the 250,000 lire previously established for the expansion of the Hotel Vigna, on the lakeside promenade. The total fee amounts to 250 million lire.

The Fiamma project did not spark major dissent. Gianluigi Pezzali, from the Fiamma Tricolore, asked, for example, to pay attention to geological conditions (is a certification available?) and traffic issues (via Marconi, quite steep, is bidirectional).

Vincenzo Zambelli (Democrats of the Left) suggested taking the opportunity to address the nearby Scala Santa, which connects the historic center to the 45 bis road above, by constructing moving stairs. City councilor Bernardo Berardinelli replied that this will be discussed again later.

The plan involves installing an elevator and a freight lift for the less accessible section, utilizing a currently closed alley that leads beneath the house of the motor pool of the ANAS.

The Soliani supermarket will be demolished. In its place, 27 apartments will be built, totaling 8,000 cubic meters, more than the current building, which has been closed for years. The project, presented by the Livio Palatini-based company Tecnoservizi, received approval from the center-right majority, while opposition members voted against.

The plot covers 5,222 square meters. Two thousand square meters will be transferred to the municipality to create a public parking lot (about forty spaces) connecting via Nazario Sauro and via Odorici. A small ecological island, appropriately screened with shrubs, will also be established.

The private developers obtained monetization rights for 434 square meters (the missing standards) at a rate of 180,000 lire per square meter. This intervention faced some criticism. Renato Cobelli, representing the PPI area, stated that it is a three-story building, “a compact structure compared to the others. It would be advisable to reduce the volume and not allow monetization.” Mauro Ventura expressed similar concerns.

Pezzali raised doubts about the traffic impact and the use of Law 23 to introduce a zoning variation. Zambelli questioned the legality of the operation, the danger posed by vehicle exits, and the geological assessment.

Urban Planning councilor Barbara Botti explained that the PRG (Urban Development Plan) already envisions a project with a defined volume (8,000 cubic meters). She added: “We are managing issues already decided by previous administrations. Please do not assign responsibilities to us that do not belong to us.”