Underground Garage Closure Sparks Owner Rebellion in Cinque Continenti

The owners of the parking boxes in the Cinque Continenti neighborhood gathered on Friday evening for a meeting regarding the underground garages, which were closed by law enforcement on Tuesday following a decree from the mayor.

There are 100 underground garages restricted from vehicle access, but only about thirty owners attended the meeting, which was insufficient for making any formal decisions requiring an absolute majority.

Present at the meeting were Mayor Sigurtà, Administrator Zuanon, and Police Commander Aresti. They conducted a review of the owners present and the garages each owns.

The registries are outdated due to frequent changes of ownership. The mayor spoke plainly about the status of the vacated garages: «I have a report from the fire brigade indicating serious deficiencies. There are no emergency exits, ventilation systems are absent, and the electrical installations do not meet safety standards.

Faced with these shortcomings, I had to issue an ordinance. The owners are responsible for their fate and must bring their garages up to code; otherwise, I will have to take extreme measures, such as walling up the garages».

Debts and protests from the owners

Administrator Anna Maria Zuanon reported that the garages alone owe 4 million euros, with some Enel bills unpaid, each exceeding 1 million euros.

«Because people live there instead of parking their cars, and the municipality has known this for years,» many attendees angrily replied.

«We are afraid to pass through the underground garages,» explained one owner, «this is a situation that various administrations have left unresolved for years.» Another woman read a protest letter addressed to the mayor concerning the eviction: «Owners are required to leave their cars open, but unwanted individuals still enter and live in the basement, in indecent conditions, showing no respect for human dignity.»

There were also numerous complaints about the poor communication of decisions made by Sigurtà, both regarding the eviction and the recent meeting, which many learned about from the press.

Mayor’s instructions and procedures

«The only solution,» finally suggested the mayor, «is for you, the owners, to hold a qualified majority meeting to make binding decisions.»

He advised appointing a technician to start the procedures for bringing the underground garages up to code (initial costs are estimated at 12 million euros, ed.), requiring all owners, even through legal channels, to pay their respective share.»

Otherwise, without complying with the law, the municipality will proceed to ensure safety.