Underground parking beneath Kasarmitori square to be completed by summer 2005
Structure sold to retirement pension insurance company
A new underground parking facility for 400 cars below Helsinki's Kasarmitori square looks likely to be finished in June of next year and introduced to users in July.
On Thursday an agreement was made public according to which the contracting company Alfred A. Palmberg has sold the newly established parking corporation Kasarmiparkki Oy in its entirety to the retirement pension insurance company Etera for a price of EUR 14 million.
It was also announced that the parking operator Carpark Finland would take over renting parking spaces to businesses, government agencies, and private citizens at Kasarmiparkki.
The same operator already runs another parking establishment at Erottaja in downtown Helsinki.
Originally the idea was to sell shares in the parking facility real estate company to surrounding businesses and offices. Owing to general lack of interest, the owners had to resort to renting space in the car park.
There are plans to ease the parking problems in central Helsinki with 3,000 or so new underground spaces in the next few years.
Carpark Finland managing director Tom Ek, whose company aims to secure long-term rental agreements for three-quarters of the Kasarmitori parking places, nevertheless believes this remains a feasible proposition, despite the impending relief for Helsinki motorists. Short-term pay parking will also be possible in spaces that are not taken up by local tenants.
At the moment there are 33,000 parking spaces in the southern part of Helsinki, 14,000 of which are street parking. The Kamppi Center, now approaching completion, will significantly add to the city's underground parking.
Of planned new underground car parks, at least the parking cave for 650 cars west of the Finlandia Hall should materialise once a decision has been reached on the new Music Centre that has been earmarked for this area.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 12.11.2004 - TODAY |
 Underground parking beneath Kasarmitori square to be completed by summer 2005 |
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