“The Death of Piter” (“Smert’ Pitera”), Ekspert 37, 28 September 2009, 8. 25 June 2010 http://dlib.eastview.com.ezproxy.middlebury.edu/browse/doc/20682946.
Discussion of the debate over and recent approval of the construction of the Gazprom tower in St. Petersburg’s new Okhta Center business region. The city commission on zoning and building approved the 403-meter tower’s construction as an exception to prohibitive regulations on building in the city’s historical sector, viz. the city law “Regarding the borders of cultural site zones.” The Soyuz Arkhitektorov boycotted the skyscraper design contest, however, world-famous names in the architecture world acted as entrants to the competition and as sat on the contest’s jury.
Also: Shchukin, Aleksey. “Big Cob of Corn” (“Bol’shaya Kukuruzina”). Ekspert 43, 9 November 2009, 77-79. 25 June 2010 http://dlib.eastview.com.ezproxy.middlebury.edu/browse/doc/20886427. Additional commentary from those for and against the tower’s construction and more detailed narrative of the tower’s approval.
Stupin, Ilya. “They talked about punishment, but showed mercy” (“Pokazali knut, no dali pryanik”), Ekspert 24, 21 June 2010, 34-35. 29 June 2010 http://dlib.eastview.com.ezproxy.middlebury.edu/browse/doc/22046249.
Examines new controls on a 2004 law limiting citizens’ participation in shared construction projects for multi-apartment buildings. Doubts are raised as to the changes’ true potential efficacy. One change to the law allows for the possibility of so-called “dummy firms” to act on behalf of the participants in the shared construction in subleasing land from development firms – which was previously not allowed.
“The land question” (“Zemel’nii vopros”), Ekspert Online, 18 May 2010. 29 June 2010 http://www.expert.ru/news/2010/05/18/land/.
Shares announcement from Ministry of Economic Development (Minekonomrazvitiye) regarding squatter’s rights. Andrey Ivakin, Minekonomrazvitiye director, says that “in the near future” amendments will be made to the RF Civil Code that will renew the right of acquisitive prescription. A citizen shall be given the opportunity to receive the property rights to land that he has “openly” and “in good faith” kept for 15 years.
Sedykh, Igor. “Moscow and Piter to be united by new railroad with no Sapsans” (“Moskvu i Piter soedinyat novoy zheleznoy dorogoy bez ‘Sapsanov’”), Rossiyskiy Biznes, 6 July 2010. 16 July 2010 http://www.rb.ru//topstory/business/2010/07/06/192916.html.
Update on the status of project to build high-speed railroad between the two capitals. Note is given to the purchase of rights to permanent (perpetual) use of 4 million hectares for the railway’s construction in the late 1990s by OAO “High-speed magistrates.” The 87% controllership stock packet, originally held by the Ministry of Government Property (Minimushchestvo), was transferred to Russian Railways (RZhD) in summer of 2007.
“A different independence” (“Drugaya nezavisimost’”), Ekspert 26, 06 July 2009, 60-65. 25 June 2010 http://dlib.eastview.com.ezproxy.middlebury.edu/browse/doc/20323729.
This report on Abkhazia includes a section called “Land and will” (63-64), profiling the status of land ownership in the region. Although long-term leases and perpetual use agreements are the only forms of land-use allowed in its constitutions, citizens and foreign investors find ways around this, and a legal path for land ownership by Russian citizens may be in the works. Otherwise, “a land market, as such, does not exist here – prices can fluctuate based on, for example, how much a buyer was liked by the seller simply on face value.”
Zlobin, Andrey. “Olympic damnation” (“Olimpiyskoe proklyatie”), SmartMoney 14 (152), 20 April 2009. 12 July 2010 http://www.vedomosti.ru/smartmoney/article/2009/04/20/10956.
In an article outlining the political battles of pre-Olympic Sochi, mention is made of related land transactions. 2500 hectares (on 2214 plots, 1900 of which are built-up) are planned to be seized for the construction of facilities for the Olympic games in 2014. Out of these, 650 hectares are to be used as living quarters for 850 resettled persons.