"Morally outdated." How will the "Vodnik" area change — sketches and plans from the authorities

      In Nizhny Novgorod a master plan for the upcoming reconstruction of the Vodnik stadium was presented. It was developed at the Institute for the Development of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Agglomeration and was reviewed by the architectural council in the first half of November.

      The main emphasis in the territory’s reboot will be placed primarily on sports and the development of accompanying infrastructure: several facilities will be built, and the stadium and open areas for sports activities will be created. True, the plans also include erecting skyscrapers.

      The project presentation took place on November 17 at the House of the Architect. Representatives of the authorities, public figures and urban planners attended. A correspondent from the IA “V gorode N” also visited the discussion.

      Why KRT?

      The area within the borders of Gruzinskaya, Alekseyevskaya and Volodarsky streets is planned to be modernized under the mechanism of comprehensive territory development. This method was chosen for financial reasons, as the use of budget funds under current conditions is impossible. And work on such a large-scale object requires significant financial investments, the authorities admitted.

      At the meeting, speakers repeatedly drew attention to the fact that the use of the KRT mechanism for this territory is a unique experience not only for the region but for the country, since the creation of sports infrastructure comes to the forefront.

      “This is the first project in the region and the city to create a sports infrastructure facility, moreover one that has a very heavy investment burden from a financing point of view,” said Deputy Governor Sergey Morozov.

      “It is very pleasing that we are the first in the Russian Federation to approach the topic of sports KRT and to create, on the terms of a public-private partnership, a public-sports space,” shared Vasily Sukhanov, a deputy of the regional legislative assembly.

      Reason for the stadium’s renewal

      “The extremely depressing condition the site has been in for the past decades is our face, the face of the historic center of Nizhny Novgorod,” said Deputy Governor Sergey Morozov, adding that the stadium has been declared unsafe.

      According to him, the question of reconstructing Vodnik has indeed been ripe for a long time. It has been discussed for more than 15 years. The minister reminded those present that in 2009 one investor appeared on the horizon, with whom a contract was even signed. However, it was later terminated. Four years later, in 2013, the authorities spoke about separate funding for the stadium, and, incidentally, the issue of building high-rises was being explored in parallel. But even then the plans were not meant to be fulfilled — the project was estimated at roughly 1 billion rubles. The official is confident that this time it is precisely the KRT that will allow bringing Vodnik back to life.

      Head of the regional Ministry of Urban Development (MinGrad) Darya Shunaeva also drew special attention to the “memory of the place.” Before the revolution, there was a park on this territory; after the revolution most of it was built over, and the remaining part was turned into sports grounds. Construction of the Vodnik stadium began in 1933. The territory fell into decline during perestroika, and to this day the stadium is in “unsatisfactory technical condition.”

      “The area around the stadium is both morally and technically outdated. Its development requires a comprehensive approach,” added Darya Shunaeva.

      What will they do there?

      First and foremost, a modern multifunctional sports cluster for year-round training and competitions for schoolchildren will be created on the Vodnik grounds to meet children’s needs for sports activities. A recreation zone will occupy more than 11,000 hectares.

      The concept also implies the construction of an indoor ice arena measuring 56×26 m. Inside there will be a sports hall 48×30 m, four training halls and an underground parking garage. As speakers repeatedly noted at the meeting, the city has a high demand for such facilities. Darya Shunaeva confirmed this and said that demand for ice arenas is currently high, especially in the Nagornaya part of the city.

      A fitness club with a swimming pool and underground parking will be built separately. The project also provides for a football field 62×42 m with four running tracks around it, and nearby there will be a basketball court and a workout zone.

      “The proposed option for the development of the territory was fully agreed upon at the architectural council, by the mayor’s office and by the sports block. This decision also corresponds to the existing territorial zoning provided for by the master plan,” said the minister.

      By the way, youth sports will be developed at Vodnik, while Dynamo will focus on adult sports, because two stadiums in the city center with nearly identical functions is inefficient, the authorities believe.

      One of the key stages in the project’s development was the formation of parking space. According to the concept, almost 800 parking spaces will be located under the KRT site, of which 280 will be specifically under the sports core for visitors. Options for unobstructed entries and exits to the territory were considered separately and carefully.

      In addition, there are 14 dilapidated and dangerous objects on the territory that will be demolished.

      The somewhat legendary and tourist-attractive building of the Vodnik stadium will be demolished. But it will be recreated taking into account the planning solutions for this territory.

      “The future KRT agreement will necessarily include the recreation of the stadium’s facade designs. The legendary building does not disappear into oblivion; it will be recreated,” said Darya Shunaeva.

      Several schools are concentrated around Vodnik; they are located in cramped conditions of the existing development. In addition, they do not have a modern sports core. Therefore, the reconstruction of Vodnik is also necessary to compensate for the lack of a sports core in educational institutions. “Something definitely needs to be done with this location. The sports space must be modern and in demand, and it will be so only in one case — when it is high-tech,” concluded Vasily Sukhanov.

      A 140-meter skyscraper

      Presumably, two investment projects will be built on this plot, namely residential buildings ranging from 11 to 31 storeys. The authorities explain the construction of high-rises by saying such objects are attractive to potential investors and it is through them that they intend to reconstruct the stadium.

      “Therefore we are interested in finding an investor who can breathe life into this territory, allow it to be developed and adapted to comprehensive development, to a landscaped environment, and to sports facilities,” added Darya Shunaeva.

      Initially three options for high-rise development were formed: 100 meters, 140 meters and 180 meters. Although it is important for the authorities to offer a future sponsor a good, attractive and competitive project (and a 180-meter skyscraper would fit this), they decided to refuse the third option immediately. Therefore they settled on two options, with 140 meters taken as the maximum height for future buildings. The final option will depend on the investor’s word and decision. But regional authorities are confident that a 140-meter skyscraper will not significantly stand out from the already formed architectural appearance of the Volga capital.

      The head of the MinGrad emphasized that the option of building “wide” is also being considered. Although the more preferable option remains a high-rise building, as it will give the surrounding territory air, comfort and more space for walking areas.

      “There is no decision yet on either 100 meters or 140. So far members of the architectural council, within their decision, have rejected higher parameters. Now the urban planning restriction, taking into account the influence of the meteorological radar, is about 100 meters. In fact the decision will be made based on an architectural competition,” said Deputy Governor Sergey Morozov.

      In the opinion of the chief architect of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Sergey Popov, a minimal local accent is needed for this territory, and 140 meters will become that accent. But he added that this issue will still be worked through.

      Analysis of the visual perception of the skyscraper from different points in the city

      What else?

      Deputy head of the Nizhny Novgorod administration Leonid Streltsov said that the main wishes of the mayor’s office were taken into account when developing the concept. According to Anton Ermakov, director of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports, the future sports complex will fully meet the needs of the population.

      The master plan was also supported by Mikhail Velmuzhov, director of the “Meshchersky” sports complex. According to him, half of the visitors to the sports complex are residents of the central part of the city.

      “We are in great need of sports facilities in the city center. Please implement the project. We will be very glad,” said the head.

      What is the volume of investment and when will work begin?

      Investment volume — at least 2 billion rubles. The updated sports complex will be able to serve about 5,000 children from schools and kindergartens within walking distance of the stadium.

      The next stage is bidding. They are planned to be held in the first quarter of 2026.

      Sergey Morozov also assured that after the final decision on the KRT is made, all obligations under the agreement will be observed.

      “The mechanism of comprehensive territory development implies the conclusion of a KRT agreement. A KRT agreement is a public obligation, including those of local self-government bodies and the government. Based on this, the pace, the obligations regarding the social-sports infrastructure facility, the stages of project implementation will be defined,” said Sergey Morozov, answering journalists’ questions about whether one of the parties could suddenly change the planning decisions during the implementation of the project, “If someone wants to ‘switch shoes’ without the agreement of the other party, they will not be able to do it physically, it is impossible.”

      Photo: Nadya Key, IA "V gorode N", t.me/newvodnik_nn

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