The municipality of Almere will start from scratch with the development of the Hortus residential area on the former Floriade site. The contract with Weerwater CV, the combination of property manager Amvest and construction company Dura Vermeer, has been terminated.
The municipality is buying back the so-called development right for Hortus from Weerwater CV for 51 million euros. The municipal council still has to formally agree to this.
Also read: Hommeles in Hortus: why the Floriade residential area is not getting off the ground
In 2018, the parties signed a contract to leave the construction of 660 homes to market parties. They have now returned to that. The municipality and the property manager were unable to agree on the agreements in the 2018 contract and have argued about it for several years.
There was even a threat of a lawsuit in November, but it was canceled when the parties resumed discussions. This consultation resulted in the agreement, which was announced today.
Twist about more homes
The biggest point of contention was the number of homes that should be built in Hortus. Although the contract was for 660, the municipal council already asked in 2020 to investigate whether more homes could be built. The municipality and Weerwater were unable to reach an agreement on scenarios for 475 to 1,300 additional houses.
Weerwater felt that more apartments within the agreed area would seriously disadvantage her financially. The municipality found that Weerwater’s plan made more than 660 houses impossible. The municipality then wanted to exert its decisive vote and overrule Weerwater.
Looking back, outgoing councilor Julius Lindenbergh says that expectations in 2018 were probably too high on both sides. The plans were also under great pressure from the Floriade, for which Amvest and Dura Vermeer were to develop the area.
Read the extensive reconstruction here about why things went wrong between the municipality and Weerwater CV
New plan must yield profit
The municipality is now moving forward with a new plan for Hortus, which has been working on it since 2022 with consultancy firm BVR and landscape architect ZUS. It is not known how many homes are included in this plan. That choice is up to the municipal council, says Lindenbergh. The council will be presented with various scenarios later this year.
The municipality assumes that the 51 million euros, with which Weerwater CV is now more or less compensated for its investments, will be recouped through future housing construction.
The new Hortus remains a green neighborhood with a place for the arboretum, the large collection of trees. However, the block structure of the paths and plots may be slightly limited. Complete removal is not planned, because many pipes and pipes for the residential area are already in the ground.
Delay
In any case, there will be delays for Hortus, because the municipality will have to find new investors and builders. This requires a new tender procedure. It has been agreed that Amvest and Dura Vermeer cannot register for this. According to Lindenbergh, the relationship with both parties is good despite the termination of the contract and they are working on other projects elsewhere in Almere.
Weerwater CV had wanted to start housing construction in Hortus at the beginning of 2023. The area now only has the Flores residential tower and the Flora healthcare complex, plus the Aeres university of applied sciences.
2024-04-06 22:56:14
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