It was a grave for 89 people in the earthquake: On-site transformation decision for Galeria Site, its name will be kept alive

In Diyarbakır, the platform formed by the property owners of the Galeria Site—where one block collapsed in the first earthquake on February 6, 2023, claiming 89 lives, and the other three blocks were demolished in a controlled manner—has decided on an on-site transformation for the 6-decare plot remaining from the site. While the decision was accepted by the Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the name of the area where the new project is being developed will be kept alive as the 'Galeria Life Center'.

In Diyarbakır, one of the provinces affected by the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes centered in the Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, 7 buildings, one of which was vacant, collapsed. 414 people lost their lives and 912 people were injured. One block of the 4-block Galeria Site in the Yenişehir district, which opened in 1999 as the city's first shopping center and consisted of a 4-story shopping mall and 8 floors of 128 apartments, collapsed in the first of the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes. 89 people lost their lives at the site, and 22 were injured. The other 3 blocks were also demolished in a controlled manner.

'CONSTRUCTION WILL BEGIN AFTER THE PERMIT IS OBTAINED'

The property owners of the site established the 'Galeria Property Owners Platform' to protect their rights. The 200 members of the platform meet every month to hold meetings. The platform decided on an on-site transformation for the 6-decare plot remaining from the Galeria Site and submitted a petition to the Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change for a new business and life center. With their petition accepted, the platform decided to establish the 'Galeria Life Center', consisting of 268 residences and a 2-story shopping mall with 177 commercial units within a 9-story, 4-block site, and signed a contract with a contractor to submit their project to the Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. The directorate approved the project. Construction will begin once the project's permit is obtained from the Metropolitan Municipality.

Platform spokesperson Ender Budak stated that the consent of 74 percent of the rights holders was obtained for the on-site transformation, saying, “89 people were martyred here in the earthquake. May God have mercy on them all. Assuming the reality that life goes on, we formed the Galeria Property Owners Platform after the earthquake. We are 200 members in this platform. We showed an example of struggle to relive our memories here. The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has an on-site transformation project. We observed that this project has advantages for the Galeria Site. There is a 50 percent plus 1 rule for on-site transformation. We fulfilled this rule and, after talking to the property owners on the platform, we gained the right with 74 percent of the votes. We went to the Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and applied for on-site transformation. Then we agreed with a contractor.”

'WE WANT TO KEEP THE NAME OF GALERIA SITE ALIVE'

Stating that they want to keep the name of the 'Galeria Site' alive, Budak expressed that construction work will begin after the permit procedures, adding, “We are planning to establish the 'Galeria Life Center' here, which will consist of 268 residences and a 2-story shopping mall with 177 commercial units within a 9-story, 4-block site. As a platform, we meet once a month and we want to keep the name of the Galeria Site alive regarding the name. We are thinking of the name as 'Galeria Life Center'.

We also introduced our project to the property owners who came to the meeting this week. The contractor we have agreed with will also go to the municipality and apply for a permit. This process will be completed within 3 or 4 months. The first shovel will be struck when the permit is obtained. We have already received both the approval and our letter regarding the completion of the project. We would also like to thank the Demirören News Agency. They have been by our side from the first day until today. They shared our pain,” he said.

News Source: 12punto