City Council Weighs Sale of Former OPG Property and Urban Planning Concerns
Waiting for tomorrow evening’s city council meeting, where the discussion is scheduled to focus on the hospital company’s decision to auction off the properties of the former OPG.
Fate of San Pellegrino and Urban Planning Issues
The San Pellegrino, part of the heritage of the former OPG, has long been a topic of political debate: the administration, after the rejection of Dr. Piersandro Colombo’s recovery plan presented on June 28, has requested a meeting with the regional health councilor Borsani, during which counterproposals for San Pellegrino were also presented, financed in part through this real estate patrimony.
However, the issue of the area put up for auction involves more than just the use of the economic proceeds from its disposal: urban planning aspects and concerns over potential speculation, as well as the risks associated with the lack of a binding measure, established at the time of sale, for a recovery plan already approved, are also at stake.
“The redevelopment of the area must be directly managed by the municipal administration,” — declares Giovanni Saviola, leader of Democratic Party (DS) — “for which reason, together with the Partito Popolare and the Rifondazione Comunista, we will propose this evening that the council adopt an guideline document, aimed at compelling Mayor and Executive to exercise their pre-emption rights.”
Situation and Prospects of the Hospital Company
Pier Mario Azzoni, the urban planning assessor, believes that the company’s decision depends on its disastrous financial situation, which necessitates generating liquidity in the short term: “Before Dr. Colombo’s appointment, there had been a series of meetings between municipal administrators and hospital company managers, which had resulted in a nearly complete recovery plan, to be subsequently presented to the city council.”
The change in leadership wiped out everything, and now, this decision makes all processes more difficult. But my biggest concern is about the destination of the sale proceeds: I am told that in the recovery plan, they are linked to the needs of S. Pellegrino, but after everything that has happened, I expect a statement from company executives that at least guarantees this.”
Description of the Former OPG
The OPG is a 12,300-square-meter building, dating from the post-war period, located in via Ordanino. Mantova. The former forensic psychiatric hospital was decommissioned after the transfer of all detainees to the new OPG of Ghisiola (formerly only a psychiatric hospital).
Poma had thus decided to put it up for auction starting at a base price of 6 billion 600 million lire (the appraisal made by experts).
