Lonato’s Campagnoli Shopping Center Development Aims to Boost Local Economy

There will be a Services Conference held in Milan in the first days of December, promoted by Regione Lombardia, focused on the development of the large Campagnoli shopping center, located in Lonato. A sort of commercial citadel, one of the largest in Lombardy, planned across a total area of 294,000 square meters alongside the road connecting Desenzano and Castiglione delle Stiviere, between the old autocross track and the newly established «Dehor», the former Genux which has recently rebranded and upgraded, integrating the nightclub with dining options and a conference center.

“The mayor of Lonato, Morando Perini, or a delegate of his, will participate in the meeting,” confirms the Commissioner for Commerce and Business Activities, Paolo Marcoli. “A positive outcome is essential for the project’s realization and the subsequent start of construction.”

“For us,” he continues, “this also means approximately 5 billion euros that will enter the municipal coffers following the unilateral obligation act filed by the company interested in the project. ‘Money that we will spend,’ as repeatedly emphasized, ‘to complete the recovery plan of the historic center as well as the Cittadella neighborhood (already funded and with work about to start), focusing on urban furniture, technological networks, and the paving of Piazza dei Martiri and surrounding streets.’

The funds will also be allocated for the Road Plan and parking facilities in the city center,” highlights Marcoli. “Our Administration encountered the Campagnoli project at a very advanced stage of the procedure,” notes Marcoli. “The subdivision plan had indeed been approved initially by the Lega-dominated Council, just before its dissolution. That was in November 1999.”

A second approval took place in spring 2000 by the Commissioner for Public Administration. After the elections, in November last year, the final agreement was signed,” he adds. “At this point, the center-left administration, unable to halt the procedural process, decided to adopt an economic approach, making the obligations for large-format stores more burdensome. A formal appeal to the Regional Administrative Court was filed against this decision, seeking the annulment of the resolution.”

The dispute was resolved with a unilateral obligation act, filed at the Lonato Municipality by Estate 2. By acknowledging the application of the resolution and withdrawing the legal challenge, this will bring approximately 5 billion euros additionally into the municipal coffers, through monetization of standard areas.

According to data provided by the assessor, the area designated for sales at this large shopping center will be 35,000 square meters, roughly divided into 20,000 for large retail, 10,000 for medium-sized enterprises, and 5,000 for small businesses. The rest consists of large green areas and parking lots.

Projects and Opposition

In the past, discussions also included the creation of multiplex cinemas. “No,” says Marcoli, “as far as I know, these are not part of the latest project. I also want to emphasize that many of the businesses opening there will not be entirely new; rather, they will be relocations from existing sites in Brescia, Verona, and Mantova.”

Since the beginning, in 1999, when initial contacts were made with the company Estate 2 and the Municipality of Lonato, category associations Ascom and Confesercenti had declared themselves completely opposed. They opposed the project sharply due to its potential impact on the entire commercial network of Basso Garda, especially small shops.

This opposition was reiterated in public meetings and through letters sent to the municipal administrations of Lonato, Desenzano, Castiglione, and Montichiari. The assessor Marcoli, however, has a different perspective: “Small businesses in historic centers, if properly enhanced, can continue to thrive. They are different entities that should not fear these large chain stores.”

In summary, there is room for everyone. This philosophy is strongly questioned by the traders’ association, which openly expresses fears; revitalizing the historic center alone, they argue, would not be enough to sustain existing businesses, as other realities have already demonstrated.