Looking for developers for two urban construction properties in the territory of the Karosta Industrial Park

On February 2, the City of Liepaja announced an auction for two real estates in Liepaja, the territory of the Karosta Industrial Park. The auction will be held electronically at  https://izsoles.ta.gov.lv from February 2, 2024 at 13.00 until March 4, 2024 at 13.00 The deadline to apply for the auction has been set on February 22, 2024.  

The two auction buildings have been assigned the status of a culturally historical significance, thus, a number of restrictions will be applied, for instance, the maximum permitted building height shall not exceed 3 floors. As the Industrial Park is located in the territory of Karosta – a specific area of the city with a rich historical heritage, which can also be particularly observed in the red brick building solutions typical of this area – the two buildings are supposed to preserve their historical exterior and charm, so to say, that contribute to their appearance, even though they both fall into the category of manufacturing premises and exclude turning them into residential buildings. 

"This is yet another logical step to proceed with the development of the Karosta Industrial Park. There is a good example to follow – for instance, the office and manufacturing facilities of SIA "EB Liepāja" company, put into operation at the end of 2022, where the historical building has been successfully restored and integrated into a modern manufacturing facility. Māris Pētersons, Board Member of SIA “EB Liepaja” company, admits, that the City of Liepaja with its long-rooted industrial traditions, has always respected its cultural and historic values. He also highly appreciated the support and participation of the municipality and the Liepaja SEZ Authority at all stages of the completed construction project.  

Uldis Hmieļevskis, CEO of the Liepaja Special Economic Zone, noted that it is always easier to develop if there are real, visible examples and he is pleased for the interest of other entrepreneurs to integrate their manufacturing buildings, logistics centers, etc.  into the historical construction of the Karosta area. The proposed auction will help to identify investors who are interested in such a kind of cooperation”, he admitted. 

For reference: the decision to establish the Karosta Industrial Park was taken in 1999. The site was formerly used for military needs, and the idea was to give a new life to it by integrating the area into the urban environment and further developing it into an industrial park. Following the said decision, in 2015 the municipality together with the Liepaja SEZ Authority completed equipping the territory of more than 20 hectares with the necessary communications, street network, lighting, etc., and offered the area for greenfield investments.