"The execution deadlines are ending, so the project must be started as soon as possible." That is the message that the Councilor for Urban Planning of Arrecife, Samuel Martín, has conveyed to the residents affected by the Areas of Regeneration and Urban Renewal (ARRUS) of the Valterra and Titerroy neighborhoods.
After years of delay due to problems in the processing of this file, the rehabilitation of these homes was finally blocked again last year due to the opposition of several residents, who did not agree with the project. Now, the councilor states that he has conveyed to those affected "the existing alternatives that had not been considered to date."
These "alternatives" were put on the table a month ago, during a meeting held by the capital's urban planning councilor with the director of the Canarian Housing Institute, José Gregorio Pérez Medina. "At this meeting, novel solutions were provided to date," the City Council points out.
"We have a problem because in order to execute the work we need the neighbors to agree. However, as explained to us by the general director of the Canarian Housing Institute, it is now possible that, in the case of Titerroy, the neighbors who do not agree with the project may disassociate themselves from it. Yes, after signing a document in which this resignation will be recorded," Martín explained. This option would give the possibility of starting in Titerroy with those who do want to continue with the project.
In Valterra, the agreement of all neighbors will be necessary
In the case of the ARRU of Valterra, the houses belong to a single block, so it is necessary for all the neighbors to give their consent to be able to execute the work. "If after a reasonable time we do not get all 20 neighbors to agree, we will have to propose the option to the next block," the councilor warns.
As reported by the City Council this Wednesday, the councilor has already held meetings "on different days with the residents of both neighborhoods" to convey the content of that meeting held a month ago. Now, he says that "the next step will be to send the documents that accredit their agreement with the project to the Canarian Executive, so that the works can begin."
In this way, next week the exchange document that each neighbor will have to sign with the Arrecife City Council will be sent to those affected, "so that they can assess and analyze it", before the eviction of their homes, "so that the work can begin to be executed immediately."
In August 2015, Samuel Martín himself stated that of the 40 homes that are planned to be rehabilitated in Valterra and Titerroy, they did not have confirmation from 16 of the owners (5 from Valterra and 11 from Titerroy). At that time, the councilor hoped that these neighbors would join "as soon as possible showing their agreement", although almost a year later, this has not yet occurred.