Now the Municipality of Latina also intends to acquire the “Key building”. Or what remains of its ruins. What to do about it will be decided by the majority. Whether to renovate it (but with what funds?) or demolish it (because the conditions are truly dramatic after decades of abandonment). But one thing is certain: the confiscation, definitively decided by the Court of Cassation, opens up new scenarios for what represents one of the most well-known “black holes” in the historic center of Latina.
The mayor of Latina, Matilde Celentano, defines the definitive confiscation as “important news”, which “puts an end to a ten-year judicial affair. From the beginning I have personally monitored, in concert with the councilor for urban planning Annalisa Muzio, the story of the skyscraper on which the councilor had nevertheless undertaken the necessary procedures to verify its legitimacy, defined with a provision of refusal to an old 2013 amnesty application. This denial was preparatory to the demolition order, which was being prepared.” The mayor continues, specifying that now «the ruling of the Court of Cassation marks a decisive turning point, and opens up a new scenario for the future fate of the city centre. Now, in agreement with the Urban Planning Department, we will arrange for the offices to prepare all the further administrative documents to achieve the definitive acquisition of the asset for the municipal heritage”, and “we will start immediately – concludes the mayor – with Councilor Muzio who followed with commitment all the procedural phases for the acquisition achieved, an internal discussion within Marjoram to establish which direction to take on the future of the asset. We will have to have clear ideas about the destination and use of the building, should we decide to conserve it rather than demolish it.”
A LONG HISTORY
A new season in its long history now opens for the “Key”. It was, in the 1960s, the first “skyscraper” in Latina, with its 14 floors above ground. Built in 1966, based on a design by the architect Vittorio D’Erme, as an exhibition of furniture and furnishings and sales offices, it remained open for this purpose until 1981. Then, the legal events, starting from the 2007 sale for 2.5 million of euros, which came under investigation. Now the definitive confiscation.
THE OPPOSITION
«It is positive news that puts an end to an affair that has distant roots and an open wound in the heart of the historic center – observes the PD group leader, Valeria Campagna – we take note of the mayor’s declaration to acquire the property, and first of all we will monitor on the correctness of the procedure and on the future of that area of the centre. As usual, however, we are perplexed by the action of an administration that continues without an overall vision of its municipal assets: it continues to acquire, and we wonder: will it be acquired for what purpose, do we give it to the University? Furthermore, from the statements, it is clear that there will be a future confrontation within the majority: it is not clear that the confrontation should be with the entire city and the opposition forces.” City councilor Daniela Fiore also intervenes from the Democratic Party, according to which «the confiscation represents an opportunity to close one of the large black holes in the center; but from confiscation to acquisition the critical element is the Municipality’s ability to actually launch a project.” Dario Bellini, group leader of Lbc, recalls that «as the administration we intervened to make it safe and activated a request for an appraisal, to understand if the building is still recoverable. Furthermore, demolition would be extremely complicated, almost surgical, as it is very close to other buildings. Like LBC, we are trying to resolve the situation as soon as possible, but a discussion with all the political forces and the city is essential.”
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