El Molino, the building of the Gustavo Gili publishing house, the Sant Pau gym and Casa Tosquella are four of the thirteen unique properties that the Barcelona City Council has bought this last year to be used for future public facilities or to be occupied by different municipal services. The acquisition of these thirteen assets, including buildings, plots, warehouses and premises, has involved an investment of 36.7 million euros, which is equivalent to a third of the entire municipal budget allocated by the council for the purchase of heritage in 2021.
In total, the city council headed by Ada Colau has invested 108.48 million euros in the purchase of real estate, a figure that marks a historical record and exceeds the initial planned budget of 104 million. Thus, the municipal corporation has become one of the main investing agents in the city in terms of the number of operations, with 78 sales. All these operations pursue a triple objective: the recovery, for the public sphere, of real estate assets of special interest and cultural, historical or social relevance; economic reactivation; and the increase of the public housing stock.
Thus, apart from the thirteen unique properties, Barcelona has bought 55 premises to be used for the reactivation of local commerce and thirteen entire buildings ---grouped into ten operations--- which allow adding 369 additional homes to the city's public housing stock. The acquisition of these thirteen properties has cost 50.43 million euros and has been carried out by exercising the right of first refusal that the city council has, within a period of 60 days, over possible purchases formalized in the city. In parallel, 19 homes have been acquired individually, totaling 388 apartments in a single year, a figure that more than triples the average housing acquisition of the last six years (111 homes/year).
The housing estates that have passed into the hands of the city council are concentrated in the Eixample (on Calàbria, Floridablanca, Balmes, Compte Borrell, Diputació streets) and in the districts of Sants-Montjuïc, Gràcia, Horta Guinardó and Nou Barris. According to the consistory, these acquisitions "are an essential tool" to expand the city's affordable housing stock and allow the achievement of four objectives: generating affordable housing distributed throughout the city; accelerating the pace of expansion of the affordable stock; improving the condition of homes and properties that are not adequately maintained and fighting against gentrification.
Finally, Barcelona has made an investment of 21.35 million in the purchase of 55 ground-floor commercial premises in compliance with a government measure aimed at combating the negative effects of the pandemic. The purpose, according to the balance made this Sunday by the City Council's Heritage Department, has been "to be able to offer competitive commercial premises that, by having more affordable prices than those of the private market, allow businesses located there to promote economic projects of all kinds." Another challenge has been to be able to have industrial warehouses to attract and develop projects linked to the promotion of the circular economy and thus revitalize the city's industrial estates.
According to the city council, having entered into competition with private operators for the purchase of premises was "an unprecedented procedure that has been very positive and well received." Thus, last year the consistory received 88 offers from property owners and finally 55 assets totaling 15,596 square meters were purchased. They are distributed among the districts of Ciutat Vella (10), Eixample (5), Les Corts (16), Gràcia (2), Horta-Guinardó (6), Nou Barris (3), Sant Andreu (3), Sants-Montjuïc (6) and Sant Martí (4).