Redevelopment of the Milan exhibition complex at the starting post

Milan,15 April 2003 – Today,,the Fiera Milano Supervisory Committee, chaired by Lombardy Regional Government President Roberto Formigoni and in the presence of Milan Provincial Government President Ombretta Colli ,Mayor of Milan Gabriele Albertini and Fondazione Fiera Milano President Luigi Roth ,approved the documents for zoning variance to the General Town Planning Scheme presented by the Milan City Council.

Fiera Milano currently occupies a surface area of approx.440,000
square meters;approx.185,000 will become the City Complex,while the remaining 255,000 will be sold and redeveloped through an international call for tenders.Of this area,50 percent must become a city park and areas for the public.The City Complex and the New Out- of-Town Complex now under construction in Rho-Pero will provide the country with one of the largest exhibition complexes in the world.The territory to be redeveloped extends beyond the perimeter of the exhibition grounds and includes some adjacent public areas,the Via Gattamelata school campus and work on the infrastructures to improve local traffic conditions.
The City Complex will remain the property of Fondazione Fiera Milano and will host business-to-consumer events,while the Out-of-Town Complex will be used for large-scale exhibitions.
The publication of the call for tenders by Sviluppo Sistema Fiera -the engineering and contracting company for major works controlled by Fondazione Fiera Milano – coincided with the call for prequalification to identify companies that will be invited to submit urban planning and redevelopment projects for the area,as well as bids and credentials for its purchase.
The tender is addressed to developers,promoters,large-scale design practices and companies with in-depth knowledge of large urban areas in Italy and proven financial and operating expertise.The deadline for the submission of applications is 30 June 2003 .
By 30 September 2003 ,Sviluppo Sistema Fiera – backed by leading international experts,also recommended by the Regional Government and City Council – will examine the applications,,and select and invite a maximum of six applicants to the tender.The deadline for submitting bids is 31 March 2004 with the final award being made by 31 July 2004 .In just 16 months,this unrelenting pace will lead to the selection of the party – or pool of parties – that will give the entire north--east area of Milan a facelift.
The above,and to the same extent,the methodology being used for the entire procedure,represent a break from tradition in the field of urban redevelopment projects in Italy.
Fondazione Fiera Milano,has in fact opted:
-not to sell to the party that ‘makes the best offer ’,but to place a call for tenders to choose the buyer and project on the basis of three elements:project quality,work schedule and economic bid;
-to share the entire process with the Regional Government and Town Council;
-to determine with the entities above,also after analyzing the needs of the stakeholders,the specific requirements to ensure that the redevelopment project fully meets the needs of citizens and those of
a metropolis that is becoming more and more international.
This marks a fundamental step in the transformation process – which began on 15 January – of the area around the present--day City Complex of Fiera di Milano that is downsizing its presence in the city by promoting a significant urban redevelopment project for Milan and Lombardy.