Sidewalk Converted into Parking Lot Under Hayk Marutyan's Signature

A decision to dismantle the sidewalk and convert it into a parking lot in the Norq-Marrash administrative district of Yerevan was made based on documents signed by former Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan and the head of the Urban Development Committee, Armen Ghulyan. This becomes clear from the study of a package of urban planning documents provided by the Yerevan Municipality to the investigative outlet Hetq.

Hetq reported this week that the sidewalk adjacent to a new building at 143 Armenakyana Street in the Norq-Marrash administrative district has been dismantled and transformed into a car park. A supermarket is set to open in the newly constructed building in the near future.

The Yerevan Municipality provided us with the approved project by the Architecture and Urban Development Department, the construction permit, and the conclusion of the state complex expert examination for the construction documentation of the new building. On November 23, 2021, the chairman of the Urban Development Committee and head of the state complex expert examination commission, Armen Ghulyan, issued a positive conclusion for the project documents for the construction of a new building at 143 Armenakyana Street. The project, which received a positive conclusion, includes blueprints for converting the sidewalk into a parking lot.

Based on Ghulyan’s signed conclusion, on November 26, 2021, Hayk Marutyan, then the mayor of Yerevan, granted a construction permit to the developer “SiamaS” LLC. This company is engaged in construction and has built several new structures in different administrative districts of Yerevan. Notably, this company managed to obtain project and construction permits in just four months, while developers in Yerevan have been complaining about unjustified delays in the issuance of construction permits.

The media reports that regardless of whose signature was on the decision to dismantle the sidewalk, the current city authorities in Yerevan can restore the sidewalk's former appearance if they desire. “They simply need the will and determination to defend the interests of Yerevan residents over those of developers. By the way, recently the Deputy Mayor of Yerevan, Tigran Avinyan (who has plans to become mayor), has been meeting with residents in various districts of Yerevan, but has yet to visit Norq-Marrash. Perhaps he will meet the residents of Norq-Marrash right at the site of the dismantled sidewalk,” the report concludes.