When Khruschev-era apartment holds pleasure... Why Muscovites don't want to move to new homes

Julia Suntsova

In such a situation, the owners of apartments from two five-storey buildings at the address 9th Parkovaya str., building 57, buildings 4 and 5 in Moscow found themselves.

160 apartments were included in the housing renovation program on August 12, 2020 and, according to Order No. 45/182/PR-335/20 "On the stages of implementation of the Housing Renovation Program in the City of Moscow" of the City Property Department, they should be resettled in 2025-2028. Until the moment of settlement, the owners should be offered housing options to which they can move. The owners, within reasonable limits, should be satisfied with the alternative, and the officials themselves guarantee the equivalence of the apartments provided for relocation and those that will be demolished.

Unexpectedly, on New Year's Eve, December 29, 2022, residents of these two five-story buildings received a notification about the postponement of the resettlement of houses under the renovation program - on January 19, 2023. "The possibility of relocation earlier than planned appeared as a result of the formed resource of equivalent living space," officials comment.

Residents of 128 apartments were offered to move to a new building on K. Fedina Street, 13 – and this option suited them. The remaining 32 apartments – residents of twenty three and twelve two–were less lucky, they were offered a more remote area - Shchelkovskoe highway, 90, building 1.

By that time, it was already known that the house on Shchelkovsky Highway was an illiquid developer due to serious construction shortcomings. Initially, it was built as a commercial housing and apartments with rough finishes were put up for sale. But after some time, the developer decided to transfer the house to the Renovation Fund.

Without major repairs, it will be impossible to live in these "new apartments". Residents should pay for it out of their own pocket, since the five-year warranty period of the developer ends the other day. Five years after the commissioning of the new building, square meters are empty and, apparently, are waiting for the expiration of this warranty period. Well, it's not for nothing that this is the house of "ghosts" for so many years, residents argue.

"Firstly, the proposed house is located two kilometers from the five-story buildings. It is not necessary to call it an equivalent exchange. Just 50 meters from the windows of the new house is a 12-lane highway. In fact, the body of this house covers the entire area from dirt, soot and exhaust gases of the Shchelkovsky highway. In some apartments, 3 out of 4 windows overlook the roadway", - says Larisa Repina.

"There is no landscaped territory, Parking is only a guest, a scanty Playground – all this does not correspond to the promises that officials handed out. The rush to settle. Pressure. The City Property Department informed us in writing that there will be only one option, there is nothing to choose from, and if we do not agree voluntarily, the Renovation Fund will evict forcibly, through the court", - says Yulia Solodchenko.The size of the bathroom is such that there is no way to put a washing machine in it.

The kitchen is 7.5 sq.m. – a little more than the current kitchen in a five-storey building. The finishing of the apartment leaves much to be desired, residents add.

There are a number of other reasons why living conditions will worsen.

The majority of residents of demolished houses are elderly people with many chronic diseases, people with disabilities of groups 1 and 2, and it is vital for them that transport and a polyclinic are within walking distance.

But no, such "luxury" is not even promised to the settlers.

For example, visiting a polyclinic becomes a long and tedious quest. First you will need to climb into an underpass that is not equipped with all the auxiliary elements of descent and ascent, and this is only to cross an eight-lane highway. Then you need to get to the polyclinic with two more transfers by bus.

Schools with clubs for children will also be less accessible.

In case of moving to a house on Shchelkovsky Highway, children will either have to be transferred to other schools, or overcome a path longer than 2.5 km every day. The same applies to classes at the Center for the Development of Children and Youth. Kosareva. Now the House of Creativity is located within 500 meters from the five-storey renovation buildings. When moving, this distance increases to 3 km.

Grocery stores are also so–so in "walking distance" - they are all either on the other side of the highway, or one bus stop away from the neighborhood.

Speaking out against moving to a "defective" house, residents offer solutions.

Literally 50 meters from the houses that are being prepared for demolition, two houses are being built right now for renovation. The deadline for their completion is indicated on the information plates: 3rd quarter of 2023. Three more houses were built within the block on the 11th Park vl. 45 street - also under the renovation program, and they are being introduced even earlier – in the first half of 2023. So why not show these apartments to the migrants?

- What caused the desire of officials to evict us 2 kilometers away, we do not understand. Maybe we need some extra indicators for the elections again? It seems that some small bureaucratic tasks are trying to be solved at the expense of our well-being, - says Ekaterina B. On January 14, having received notifications about relocation without the possibility of considering several options, residents of demolished five-story buildings went to a spontaneous meeting.

Everyone who is taken to Shchelkovskoe Highway does not want to go there.

Residents have sent complaints about the arbitrary decisions of officials to the Government of Moscow, the Department of State Property of the City of Moscow, the Department of Urban Planning Policy of the City of Moscow and other instances. From everywhere, according to them, unsubscriptions are returned.

According to officials, they are not obliged to satisfy all the wishes of citizens, especially when "the resource of free space is limited."

"Please note that the current legislation does not provide for the granting of powers to the executive authorities of the city of Moscow to obligatorily satisfy the demands of citizens for the provision of residential premises in a house at a specific address, on a specified floor, with certain planning solutions.At the same time, the wishes of citizens in case of refusal of the proposed apartment option are taken into account, if possible, if there are such apartments on the distribution.

Taking into account that earlier residents of thirteen five-storey houses included in the Renovation Program located in the Severnoye Izmailovo district were relocated to a new building at the address: Moscow, Konstantin Fedin str., 13, and the resource of free space in this new building is limited, there is no possibility to offer an apartment option that meets your wishes".

"Considering the above, by order of the Department, you have been provided with an equivalent one-bedroom apartment at the address: Moscow, Shchelkovskoe sh., 90, bldg. 1, sq. 205.

This apartment fully complies with the requirements of the legislation:

It consists of the same number of rooms, more in total area, not less in living space, located in the area of residence," Alexey Kurichev, head of the Resettlement Department of the Moscow City Property Department, answers residents.If you think that housing is not equal to where you live now, you know:

it seemed to you!

The "starting" house at the address: Shchelkovskoe highway, 90, building 1 meets the renovation standards for the resettlement of residents of the Severnoye Izmailovo district. The issues of re-selection of alternative options for equivalent residential premises in other new buildings of the Severnoye Izmailovo district within the framework of the Renovation Program are within the competence of the Department of [City Property of Moscow]. The Renovation Fund is not authorized to assess the actions of the executive authority represented by the Department," Vladimir Dvoretsky, First Deputy Director General for Project Management and Relocation of the Moscow Residential Renovation Fund, answers.Is there mold on the windows, rust on the internal wiring of the water supply, is the plaster falling off?

Why are you looking at the walls, by God, you'd better look at the letters on the papers, it's written in black and white: all the examinations have been passed and there are no violations.

"In addition, I inform you that the project of a residential building at the address: Severnoye Izmailovo district, mkr. 80 (Shchelkovskoe highway between 90 and 92, building 2) (assigned address: Shchelkovskoe highway, 90, building 1) received a positive conclusion of the Mosgosexpertiza, the permission to put the facility into operation confirms the completion of construction without violations.The standard of finishing apartments provided to the participants of the Renovation Program meets the requirements of the Decree of the Government of Moscow dated 08.08.2017 No. 516-PP," writes Dmitry Dobryansky, Deputy Head of the Department of Urban Planning Policy of the City of Moscow.

Marat Dayanov lawyer:

- The meaning of the replies-unsubscribes boils down to the fact that all procedures are carried out in accordance with the law.

If people refuse to move to where they are ordered, "in order to ensure security", their own safety, they will be expelled through the court.

People are deprived of the opportunity to choose. On the one hand, officials, as if formally, really comply with the minimum requirements: the quadrature and the number of rooms coincide. And there are no options, because there are not many new buildings in the densely populated Northern Izmailovo - resources do not allow. But that's it.

But (!) the law of Moscow dated 17.05.2017 No. 14 provides additional guarantees for creating a comfortable living environment for citizens moving under the renovation program. These guarantees provide for preferential relocation within the quarter, and the implementation of sanitary and protective landscaping, and the organization of courtyards and parking spaces. In addition, no one has abolished the basic human right to a favorable living environment.

By the way, the Law on Renovation even focuses on the obligation "... to create a favorable living environment, public spaces and landscaping and a comprehensive renewal of the living environment of citizens." But, as is usual with us, for some reason everyone forgot about the principle of equivalence of housing again...

The settlement of five-storey buildings in Northern Izmailovo is scheduled for October-November 2023… It looks like this will be another hot zone on the map of Moscow.