Empty plots and abandoned houses will urge the Lahti street scene – now we want a change
The City Audit Board proposes that the city will explore the chances of redeeming or dismantling the old police house and an empty apartment building on Hämeenkatu 24.
The comfort of the Lahti downtown area receives Sapiska from the City Audit Board. The panel proposes that the future of empty plots and deserted houses should be explored.
Everything on the list has seven plots or buildings. The Board of Audit Board has been particularly attached to three addresses, an old police house and a desert house in Hämeenkatu 24, also called Ghost House.
The same applies to the Lahti Concert Hall’s residential tower, which is in progress. Just over a week ago, the Tower’s housing company was filed for bankruptcy.
Each building is problematic from the city’s point of view, for example, because of their ownership. The newer part of the old police house in private ownership and business has been launched there. It has been very difficult to reach the owner of the concert house’s residential tower.
For Hämeenkatu 24, the plot and the house are owned by different companies. However, both companies owned by the same bodies, and the city has not easily contacted the owners.
In the case of Hämeenkatu 24, the city has previously obliged the house owner to repair the façade so that parts of the building would not fall into the street.
Now the Board of Auditors proposes to the City Government that the city would begin to find out if these properties could be redeemed, demolished, or changes their zoning. One reason is the image of the city.
The Board of Audit also proposes that the city would determine whether the center could somehow accelerate the construction of empty plots. For example, around the travel center, the plot of the Old Post Office looks quite crazy. Rahkonen, Chairman of the Audit Board, points out that there is no rapid solution in the current housing market situation.
– In a way, it is also an image issue. If you think that you will be by train to Lahti, first when you come out of the train station, there are empty plots that have been demolished, then of course it pays attention, Rahkonen says.