In Lviv, work is under way on a development concept for the territory of the former Lviv Bus Plant, where on 56 hectares of municipal land the city plans to develop manufacturing, education, science, industrial and innovation centres without any residential construction. This was reported by Lviv City Council.
As explained by the First Deputy Mayor Andriy Moskalenko, the land on this site is in municipal ownership, while the buildings belong to private owners. Therefore, the city has set up a working group of vice-rectors, cluster heads and business representatives to develop a shared vision for the area’s development and to preserve its strategic role as a manufacturing, educational and industrial zone.
During the meeting of the working group, it was stressed that there is a large professional shelter on the site, effectively a radiation protection shelter with an area of around 5,000 square metres. According to Andriy Moskalenko, they are now clarifying how it ended up in private ownership, sending the relevant requests and preparing to return the facility to municipal ownership so that the shelter once again serves the city’s residents.
The members of the working group agreed to prepare the technical brief for drawing up the development concept for the territory. They plan to approach leading global companies so that they can propose the best solutions for the future use of this site. Among the risks discussed were possible debates over changing the form of land ownership, which the city regards as a very serious threat.
For the next session of the City Council, two draft resolutions concerning the former bus plant site are being prepared. The first will concern the inventory of land to keep the plot in community ownership and prevent it from being fragmented. The second provides for including this territory in the register of Lviv’s industrial zones. The company that owns about 90% of the facilities on this site has also been invited to take part in the work, but its representatives did not attend the latest meeting despite official invitations.
The Head of the Architecture Department of the Department of Architecture and Spatial Development, Roman Krushelnytskyi, said that within two weeks they will develop ideas for the development of this industrial zone. According to him, it is important to preserve the industrial character of the built environment, as the city sees the area as a potential “new engine of development” with a focus on high-tech industries and recreational potential, without any housing.
Back in 2021, Lviv determined that the territory of the former LAZ on Stryiska Street could be used only for manufacturing, scientific, educational or public functions, and that residential construction there was not envisaged. After the change of ownership in 2024, the question of the future of this site has again become topical, so the city is now discussing in detail how to preserve its industrial and economic potential and prevent it from being turned into residential quarters. In addition, Lviv has appealed to the Government to support the preservation and restoration of the production potential of the former plant’s territory and to prevent residential construction in this industrial zone.