Residential space in Varna will grow southwards whereas industrial, retail and office development will spread westward, according to the city’s new zoning plan, to be discussed by municipal councils in February. This is the first master plan to embrace the whole of Varna municipality, noted Ivan Trendafilov, Varna's chief architect.
Industrial space
Varna’s industrial establishments will spread west of the present West Industrial Area. Logistic, warehouse and production compounds will spring up in Topoli village, Trendafilov explained. Port infrastructure will move toward Varna lake and existing facilities will be transformed into a yacht harbour. After this revamp, the Varna lake region will combine naval, railway and automobile transport, which will make it an appropriate spot for industrial developments, said Assen Tanev, managing director of City Estate agency. He pointed out that traffic junctions, projected for Avren and Ignatievo villages, are of key importance to the city’s westward growth. Avren junction will redirect heavy automobile load from Bourgas, which is now passing along Asparouhov Most (Asparouh’s Bridge), towards the west and beyond the city boundaries. The cloverleaf interchange, planned at Ignatievo village, will link Cherno More (Black Sea) and Hemus highways.
Demand for plots in the region is growing. Many companies will set up showrooms and industrial developments there.
Such projects are to be deployed westward toward the highway. Moreover, there are no vacant plots left in the city, Assen Tanev said..
Business space
Office and retail centres will be developed to the west as well. A similar trend can be discerned in the airport vicinity where Business Park Varna is located, architect Trendafilov noted. Varna centre has little capacity for large business projects and most brokers forecast that they will move westward. The Vladislavovo neighbourhood will emerge as a large retail region. Vacant plots around Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd are very appropriate for this purpose. There is already a zoning process underway, City Estate officials reported and explained that the region encompasses lands across Metro Cash&Carry Supermarket (about 100 000 sq m in area), which have so far been unoccupied due to some peculiarities in the old master plan. It did not allow construction there because these lands were allocated for building of a railway connection between Devnya and Golden Sands. This project was never implemented and does not exist in the new zoning plan, Assen Tanev said. The region’s links with Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, the airport and the highway exit to Sofia are other advantages favouring the development of business space.
Residential space
Varna’s new zoning plan envisages southward expansion. Galata region is very promising, Dobromir Ganev, managing director of Foros agency, commented. Currently, Galata is popular as a villa area but entrepreneurs are already searching for plots in the region and several large residential projects are in the pipeline.
If infrastructure is developed and access to the city centre is improved, Galata might emerge as a prime residential location, according to Ganev.
The new master plan provides for construction of low and medium-rise buildings in the region, low construction density and many green areas. This, alongside Galata district's excellent exposure and spacious plots, will lead to its growth as a preferred living area, Ganev added.
