Back to the Wisla
By : Tomasz Stepien
In many large cities and capitals, waterfront real estate can be among the most sought-after property in the city.
Not so in Warsaw. That's due in large part to historical precedent, the focus of post-war reconstruction efforts downtown that ignored the area, and the current drive by environmentalists to maintain a green, fresh-air corridor along the river banks.
Regardless of which side of the land-use issue you stand on, the banks of the Wisla represent a vast property holding. Although present obstacles are formidable, it's probably just a matter of time before these city assets are put on the development map, city officials and developers said.
More than 200 hectares of riverfront real estate are estimated to hold potential for development along both sides of the river from Most Gdanski on the north side of the Old Town to the proposed Siekierki bridge linking Mokotow with the east bank of the river. The east side of the river is the most neglected, but also holds the greatest potential. The west bank is dominated by an expressway and in general, urban development has shied away from the river, moving west and south, officials said.
"Warsaw has turned back from the river," admitted Leszek Cislo, director of Gmina Centrum's development and economic policy.
That wasn't always so. Early in the city's history, the river played a role in commercial and the social life of the city. Not anymore. The Wisla now cuts the city in half, separating east and west. Downtown Warsaw lies about two kilometers west of the river. Directly opposite on the other side is the neglected Praga district.
All that remains of the river's legacy today are a couple of "botels" established in the 1970s and now offering budget accommodations in 64 rooms with minimal services. Overnight rates run zl. 65 for singles, with shared baths and minimal restaurant services.
The banks of the river now serve as thoroughfares and that could be the key to development, especially on the east side of the river where the plans call for widening the existing Wal Miedzeszynski street. On the other side of the river, the Wislostrada expressway runs along the river's west bank as close as 20 meters from the water's edge. However, significant strips of unused or neglected land lie on the east bank, with lots on average 200 meters deep between the roadway and the riverfront. Here, too, is the 45-hectare Port Praski site, cleared, but waiting for development.
The west bank also holds development potential, notably on the Cypel Czerniakowski peninsula near the Lazienkowski bridge where lot depths run 500 meters between river and roadway.
But so far, development on the riverfront has generally been limited to sports clubs of a bygone era, parks and temporary tents set up in the summer as beer stands with plastic furnishings at the water's edge that overlook swirls meandering downstream.
Some new money has been pumped into the riverfront, notably on the Praga side, highlighting the potential for serene riverfront property with plenty of space. Earlier this year, U.S. investors opened the Boat House restaurant and a local cooperative built a modest hotel just south of the Lazienkowski bridge along the Wal Miedzeszynski expressway.
"A specific opportunity was presented, and I realized it had potential," said Marc Bushala, head of Boat House Partners company, which in July established the restaurant on the east bank of the Wisla after looking at several opportunities in Warsaw. "It is pretty. It is a beautiful part of the city," he said.
Boat House Partners leased two hectares of land with an 800 square-meter building, which formerly served as a boat repair and coffee shop and now features a two-story restaurant and bar.
Bushala decided to set up a restaurant there because the location was perfect to host large parties. "Customers are surprised how pretty this area can be," he said.
The Boat House restaurant attracts 200 initiates to the riverfront each day and could generate higher turnover in the summer, when open-air banquets catering up to 500 persons can be organized outdoors on the patio and lawn stretching toward the riverfront, Bushala said. Another restaurant owned by Bushala and partners, the Blue Cactus in the Mokotow district, garners about 400-450 customers a day, Bushala said.
Next door, local cooperative Spoldzielnia Uslug Socjalnych (SUS) is pumping money into refurbishing garages of the former Miejskie Zaklady Komunikacyjne (MZK). Completed last March, the Wiselka Hotel now features 16 rooms with prices ranging from zl. 107 for a single to zl. 250, said Andrzej Galant, the hotel's director. SUS decided to develop the hotel to try to spark some revenue from the 3,000 square-meter complex, Galant said. Occupancy is running 50% on weekdays, he said.
However, the owners of the hotel and restaurant faced constraints by not being allowed any new construction on their property, the firms said. They could only renovate the current space, they said. "Building anything new is nearly impossible," said Bushala.
At present that's the main drawback to investment and development along most of the riverfront, city officials said.
"Current plans rather protect the environment," said Cislo of Gmina Centrum. That's because of strong lobbying efforts by environmental groups that claim the Wisla is a good ventilation channel and cleanses pollution from the city.
However, Cislo said, "there are some plans to change it." Plans in the pipeline include Port Praski and Cypel Czerniakowski, he said.
The Port Praski development plan calls for construction of up to 800,000 square meters of office, retail and residential facilities over 17 hectares of land. In theory, development could start as soon as next fall when conglomerate Elektrim is scheduled to complete construction of the Swietokrzyski bridge. Under a deal with city officials, Elektrim is financing bridge construction in exchange for ownership of Port Praski. But Elektrim is currently facing a mountain of debt from its attempt to move into the telecom and energy sectors. Moreover, construction on Port Praski is technically complicated due to the water table and market watchers anticipate it could take years before any development is visible above the water line.
But investors hope that in the coming decade Port Praski and other developments including Cypel Czerniakowski, where the tentative blueprint calls for development of sports and leisure facilities, will set the groundwork for new developments in Warsaw.
"Definitely it will change," said Bushala, referring to the riverfront landscape. "If the city's objective is to develop, they need to allow construction," he said.
City officials agree. Enough investor interest exists to develop the landscape, it's just a matter of setting up the guidelines, said Cislo of Gmina Centrum. However, no specific timeline exists.
In the meantime, some firms are turning their attention to the river itself to showcase products and services. In September, mobile phone operator Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa (Era GSM) used the Wisla as the stage for its third anniversary in the telecom market. The gala took place on the firm's sailboat, which remains docked on the west bank near the Syreny bridge.
"People were surprised that we did it in this location," said Robert Niczewski, PTC's spokesman. More than 1,000 people participated in an open-air river fest. But it won't end there. In fact, PTC has grander plans for the nation's principal waterway. Next spring the company will tour cities along the Wisla river with promotion events using its sailboat, Niczewski said.
