Kariņš: Andrejsala developers asked the state to invest in infrastructure
Former Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said on a TV3 podcast that a representative of the Andrejsala developers once asked the state to invest in the area. He warned that infrastructure for the Riga Waterfront project could end up funded by the state and the municipality.
Former Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said on the TV3 podcast "Piķis un ģēvelis!" that while he led the government, a representative of the Andrejsala developers — in his words, a "very self-confident boy" — asked for state investment in this former port area of Riga. The topic is current in connection with the Riga Waterfront project planned in Andrejsala by Ainārs Šlesers (of the LPV party) and Andris Šķēle.
Kariņš's assessment
Kariņš said it is not reprehensible for Šlesers and Šķēle to work for their families' economic interests. In his view, the project itself, if it develops the former port territory, is not bad either, but the question is who pays for that development. He predicted pressure on the state and the municipality to invest in access roads, probably a railway, electricity, water supply and sewerage. In his opinion, the developers will look for ways for this to be done not by themselves, but at the state's expense.
A similar situation arose with an offer for the state to build a concert hall, the Riga Philharmonic, in Andrejsala: for it to be built, the state would first have to invest in developing the area. Kariņš said he became angry and threw his interlocutors out of the meeting room, telling them they had misunderstood. If developers want the state to invest in an anchor facility in their territory, they must interest the state, not the other way round.
About the project
The Riga Waterfront developers promise to invest three billion euros. The project is meant to combine housing, green areas and direct access to the water. More than 30,000 residents are planned to live in about 8,000 homes. Hotels with more than 1,000 hospitality offerings are also planned, along with ice rinks, a cruise terminal, a shopping centre and public squares. The territory of the old power station is to become a retail and gastronomy centre.
In return for investment, the project's developers promise a temporary residence permit in a European Union member state.
