Zezman Holding (Odesa) completed the construction of 15.2 thousand square meters of housing in 2024 and will continue to implement the previously announced residential estates in Uzhhorod and Odesa next year.
“This year, we have taken a bold and strategically important step by expanding our presence from the southern region to the west of Ukraine. We presented two large-scale projects: Lizrome in Uzhhorod, the first residential community in the region that meets the principles of sustainable development, and Gross Liebental cottage community in Odesa agglomeration, designed with a focus on energy autonomy, security and flexibility of housing solutions,” Boris Goldenstein, founder and CEO of Zezman Holding, toldInterfax-Ukraine.
By the end of 2024, the developer completed the construction of two buildings with 357 apartments in the Artville residential complex in Odesa, with a total area of 15.2 thousand square meters. The construction of nine buildings for 1 thousand apartments with a total area of 43.5 thousand square meters is also underway.
According to the company, about 40% of sales are made under the eOselya program, which indicates a high demand for mortgage programs.
“At the same time, we are seeing an increase in demand for ready-made housing, in particular, for renovated apartments that meet the principles of ready to use. This reflects the changing priorities of consumers who are looking for comfort and convenience without spending time and money on repairs,” Zezman Holding said.
Founded in 2013, Zezman Holding has commissioned 13 houses, with another 28 residential buildings at various stages of construction.
Urban transport manufacturer Concern Electron has delivered the first four 12-meter buses, Electron A18501, out of the 13 units provided for in the contract to Uzhhorod Municipal Transport, the company said on Facebook.
“By the end of the year, nine more buses will be added to the fleet of the utility company,” the statement said.
The concern informed that 27 buses of this brand are already in operation in Uzhhorod, which means that upon completion of the delivery there will be 40 of them.
“Unlike many other cities, Uzhhorod has a systematic and pragmatic approach to renewing its bus fleet. The city deliberately replenishes it with vehicles of the same brand, which facilitates the maintenance and repair of rolling stock. Electron buses have been in operation in the regional center since 2018,” the company said.
As reported, the contract for the supply of 13 low-floor Electron buses for a total of UAH 126.5 million was signed on September 29, 2023, after the Electronmash plant, part of the concern, won the relevant tender.
The delivery date was set for August 31, 2023.
Other bidders were Zernotrade, which offered Chinese buses for UAH 127.8 million, and Bas Motor LLC with Bogdan buses for UAH 130 million.
In addition, Etalon Avto Trading House tried to challenge what it considered to be discriminatory tender conditions at the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, but was unsuccessful.
Uzhhorod is now the most expensive city in Ukraine in terms of rental housing costs, followed by Lviv and Kyiv, according to the LUN real estate portal.
“In the first two years of the war, Lviv was considered the most expensive city for renting apartments, but now the situation has changed. In July, Uzhhorod became the most expensive city – a one-bedroom apartment here costs an average of UAH 17.7 thousand per month. This is more expensive than in the capital or in Lviv,” the press release says.
According to LUN, the average cost of renting a 1-room apartment in Lviv as of July is 16.5 thousand UAH/month, in Kyiv – 15 thousand UAH/month.
Next in the ranking are Chernivtsi – 12.3 thousand UAH/month on average for renting a one-bedroom apartment, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kropyvnytskyi, Poltava, Rivne – 12 thousand UAH/month, Cherkasy – 10 thousand UAH/month, Khmelnytskyi – 9.5 thousand UAH/month, Ternopil – 9.4 thousand UAH/month.
“LUN” notes that Odesa, which was previously expensive for renting housing, now ranks 14th with 7 thousand UAH/month. The lowest prices are generally recorded in cities that are close to the frontline and suffer from military operations: Chernihiv (5.8 thousand UAH/month), Zaporizhzhia, Sumy (5.5 thousand UAH/month), Mykolaiv (5 thousand UAH/month), Kharkiv and Kherson (4 thousand UAH/month).
The meeting between Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will take place on Wednesday, January 24, in Uzhhorod, Slovak media outlet Denník N reported on Saturday.
“…on Wednesday morning, I am in Ukraine with Shmyhal,” Fico said, speaking about his work plans for the coming week.
The publication reports that “Fico will meet with the Prime Minister of Ukraine in Uzhhorod.”
As noted, in early December, Fico already had a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart. He summarized the content of the phone call in his Facebook status, saying that he “makes it impossible to supply weapons” but “supports the European perspective of Ukraine and Moldova, but together with the countries of the Western Balkans.” Fico also stated that Slovakia is interested in “helping Ukraine in the humanitarian and civilian sphere.”
Fico also reportedly noted the reluctance of the Ukrainian side to hold a press conference.
Last week, it was reported that Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal also announced a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Fico in the coming weeks to “discuss all the pressing issues and remove possible obstacles to the implementation of the Ukraine Facility.”
A four-level shopping center “Ukraina” with a total area of more than 20 thousand square meters will be opened in Uzhhorod at the end of 2024, the Retail & Development Advisor (RDA) consulting company, which is the exclusive broker of the future facility, told Interfax-Ukraine.
“We are finalizing the architectural concept of the Ukraina shopping center, but we can already say for sure that its content will be the largest in Transcarpathia. Many national and international chains are interested in opening their stores here. The increased interest in the facility from retail operators is quite understandable, because this is the first shopping center of this scale and class in the region, which has no analogues in Transcarpathia today either in terms of architecture or location,” comments Andriy Lototskyi, CEO of RDA.
The new shopping center will be located on Svobody Avenue, not far from the historic city center. The developer of the facility expects that a good location on the main avenue of the city, proximity to the center and densely populated residential areas nearby will provide the mall with consistently high traffic. According to preliminary estimates, the shopping center’s footfall will reach 20 thousand shoppers per day.
RDA has already started the process of filling the facility. It is assumed that ALMA grocery supermarket with an area of 2 thousand square meters, large stores of national and international operators, a modern premium cinema, restaurants and a food court area will open in the shopping center “Ukraine”.
It is emphasized that the project takes into account all relevant DBN norms, in particular, the inclusiveness of the mall and the arrangement of a safe and comfortable shelter for visitors. It is also planned to equip the area in front of the mall.
The Uzhhorod Municipal Transport utility will purchase 13 low-floor 12-meter buses manufactured by Lviv-based ElectronMash for UAH 126.5 million by August 31, 2024, against an expected purchase price of UAH 137.32 million.
According to Prozorro, the contract was signed with the successful bidder, ElectronMash Plant LLC, on September 29.
In addition to the Lviv plant, bids were also submitted by Zernotrade, which offered Chinese buses for UAH 127.8 million (according to the certificate provided, with localization of more than 23%), and Bas Motor LLC with Bogdan buses for UAH 130 million.
At the same time, Etalon Auto Trading House filed a complaint with the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine against the discriminatory terms of the tender, but the AMCU dismissed the complaint.
As reported, the tender for the purchase of buses for Uzhhorod Municipal Transport was announced on August 17, with a 50% prepayment required within 10 banking days.
According to the technical specifications, the bus with a diesel engine of at least Euro 5 eco-standard with three double doors must be fully low-floor, produced no earlier than 2023, designed for at least 90 passengers, including 27 seated, have a ramp for wheelchair users and a place for wheelchair attachment in the cabin.
Uzhhorod Municipal Transport was established in 2016 (before that, the city was served only by private carriers). In 2018, the first 10 large low-floor buses from Electron were purchased for UAH 54 million. Another seven buses from the same manufacturer were leased and delivered in 2021.