Almost throughout its history, the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain attracted the attention of architects and developers. And now, after almost 80 years since the construction of the island, things have moved forward. The development of this island, located in the immediate vicinity of Red Square, began.
Background
Mnevnikovskaya floodplain is not a natural formation, but a man-made structure. At the end of the 30s, a lock was built in the bend of the Moskva River and the Karamyshevsky straightening channel was dug. So the man-made island appeared with an area exceeding 350 hectares. A water protection zone of the dam appeared on most of the island, and the rest of the territory was occupied by warehouses and motor depots grown as if by magic.
The floodplain itself was introduced into the city only at the end of the 40s, but the fate of the island was of little interest to the city authorities. Household and other garbage began to be brought there. The territory of the island has turned into a huge unauthorized dump.
They recalled the floodplain under Khrushchev. Nikita Sergeyevich paid a visit to the United States, and although he himself did not manage to visit Disneyland, which had just opened then, but after hearing reviews of the American amusement park, he decided to build a park in the USSR bigger and better than in the West.
For the amusement park, the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain was chosen . Moscow, as the capital, was to become the center of the implementation of the grandiose plan. The project of the park "Wonderland" was developed. Architect V. Dolganov put the USSR map on the basis of the project. The oceans, and seas, and mountains, and deserts, the entire vast Motherland, were to be displayed in the project. But Khrushchev left the post of Secretary General before the project was approved, and work was stopped.
The collapse of the USSR inspired the Moscow government to build a new island, which is a 15-minute drive from Red Square. It was planned to open an amusement park with patency of up to 100 thousand people. In the competition announced by the mayor of Moscow, the famous sculptor Zurab Tsereteli won with the project "Wonderland Park". As planned by the architect, the park was to become a miniature copy of the world map, with thematic attractions, museums and shops. By personal decree of President Yeltsin, the whole island was transferred to Tsereteli for unlimited use. But over the years, a restaurant and other illegal buildings were built on the island, including a waste incineration plant and a concrete plant. But the promised wonderland did not appear, but the landfill continued to grow. In 2006, in court, Tsereteli’s ownership of the island was revoked.
Once again, developers have proposed building an elite golf club, theater, ice rink and expensive villas on the island. Such an advantageous location of a small patch of land promised large profits. They even decided on an investor, which became a South Korean company. But the crisis that struck in 2008 prevented the implementation of grandiose plans.
Under Luzhkov, several development attempts were made, which were never destined to be realized.
For decades, they continued to bring garbage from all over Moscow. Recently, negligent companies that export solid waste in violation of all prohibitions took garbage at night, which was repeatedly signaled by local residents. To solve the problem of the expanding landfill and to improve the island, it was decided to begin large-scale construction.
New century Mnevnikovskaya floodplain
In 2012, the Moscow City Hall, headed by S. Sobyanin, announced a competition for the development of the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain. About 30 architectural companies from 9 countries took part in the competition. The interest in the competition was huge. The competitive jury selected 3 projects, and work began on the development of a cluttered island. Activists categorically opposed the development of the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain island, because part of its territory was recognized as especially protected in Soviet times.
Indeed, part of the territory is recognized as specially protected, in addition, the island has a small but residential village Terekhovo. At the moment, about 87 people live in it. This village is part of the historical heritage, the first mention of it is found in the annals of the XII century.
Parliamentary island
According to the approved plan, the Parliamentary Center will be built on the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain island, which will occupy the northern part of the island. Members of parliament will not be left without an appropriate social infrastructure that will meet international standards. Both houses of parliament and members of the Federal Council are planning to relocate here. The area that the deputies will occupy here is five times larger than what they currently occupy.
Athletic facilities
Part of the territory will be given over to sports facilities. The largest ice palace in the capital should be erected here, capable of accommodating up to 20 thousand spectators. There are also halls for other sports. The plans of investors include the construction of a center for water sports under the working name "Artificial Wave". The grandiose plans of the developers are complemented by a surf park. All sports facilities will complement existing facilities.
Mega park
Designers plan to combine three parks: Filevsky, Krylatsky and Mnevnikovsky into one, connecting them with bridges. The single green zone should become the largest park inside the MKAD, the area of which will exceed 650 hectares. It is planned to improve the whole territory by laying pedestrian and bicycle paths, constructing sports grounds and playgrounds. The park in the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain promises to become a mega-park for all age categories of vacationers.
Transport connection
The grandiose plans of developers and the development of the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain are unthinkable without a developed transport connection. The Northwest Chord will pass through the floodplain territory. In addition, at least one metro station will be laid here. Its location will be the village of Terekhovo. Depending on the congestion of the branch and the actual settlement of the island, it is possible that the number of stations will increase to three.
The exact address
Mnevnikovskaya floodplain is not far from the Kremlin, the way by car will take about 15 minutes. Administratively, it belongs to the North-Western AO, to the Khoroshevo-Mnevniki district, the village of Terekhovo.
Residential buildings
Most of the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain project is a commercial development. But residential complexes are being erected here. Utesov residential complex has already been built, new high-rise buildings are growing nearby. There are a lot of people wishing to buy housing almost in the center of the capital, and even in the environmental zone. New settlers will receive brand new apartments in an elite area of the city with new infrastructure and thoughtful transport links.
Disputed land
The construction began in the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain, despite protests by activists and local residents. "Greens" refer to the fact that this territory is protected by the Department of Environmental Management and cannot be used for development. Activists also do not believe unscrupulous officials who promise that only the contaminated part of the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain will be built up, and the protected area will not be affected. There was a lot of debate about the fact that this island of artificial origin and part of the territory is swampy. According to experts, the construction on such soil is difficult and expensive. Yes, and the erected buildings may not withstand landslides and other natural processes. But, as practice shows, multi-storey residential complexes of elite housing are being built on the island.
A lot of controversy is caused by the road construction project, which will pass through nature conservation lands.
No matter how much disputes are fought around the Mnevnikovskaya floodplain island, the development plan is approved by the government of the capital. As the competition showed, interest in this land is huge. The participation of architectural companies from China, the USA, Britain and other countries shows the interest of international investors.