The future Place de l’Étoile will see car and bus traffic diverted and will include housing, offices, shops, even a cinema.
The area will undergo a vast transformation in the next few years, the City of Luxembourg announced on Tuesday. City mayor Lydie Polfer (DP) said the changes would bring “added value not only for the Place, but also for the surrounding neighbourhoods, such as Belair and Rollingergrund.”
The area, near the Route d’Arlon and Boulevard de la Foire intersection, is to be transformed with the creation of an underground station for regional buses. A tunnel will bypass the section of the Route d’Arlon between Boulevard de la Foire and Rue du Rollingergrund so as to leave the area open to pedestrians and cyclists.
Cars will be rerouted toward the Square de New York and Val Sainte-Croix via a route passing underneath one of the new buildings.
Watch a video presentation here.
Three times more housing than planned
The project involves the construction of complexes combining housing and office space on two vacant lots located on either side of the current Route d’Arlon. At the centre will be space dedicated to pedestrians and the tram, which is programmed to eventually extend to Strassen.
“We are planning to build a second exchange hub [near] the CHL on the territory of Strassen commune,” minister of mobility and public works François Bausch (Déi Gréng) explained. He said he hopes to be able to submit the project’s financing proposal by December 2022.
Two tram stops
In addition to the current Place de l’Étoile tram stop, the project includes the construction of an additional stop at the site of the current bus stops. “Between all of this, we want to create life on the Place de l’Étoile,” explained Marc Giorgetti, manager of Felix Giorgetti, co-developer along with BC Partners.
Offices will take up 45% of the building, ahead of shops, a fitness centre, cinema, drugstore and a food hall.
Although computer-generated images are already visible, the development plans still need to be modified--the City anticipates starting this phase in the first quarter of 2021.
See how the new plans change the face of the Place de l'Etoile.
The project dates back to 2016, when Adia (Abu Dhabi Investment Authority) purchased the land from Andromeda Investissement. The transaction, estimated at €150m, concerns a plot of some 20,000 m2 (or €7,500/m2), situated at the western entrance to the capital.
Adia is now both investor and owner: the sovereign fund is represented by Silver Etoile C.
This article was originally published in French on Paperjam.lu and has been translated and edited for Delano.
