The Ixor 48-story towers project has not been discussed at the City Hall- what are the residents of the Vere River Gorge protesting about?

In Tbilisi, a multifunctional complex is set to be launched. It will be located between Tamarashvili Street and the Vere River, in close proximity to the building being constructed by "Samto Kimia" and "Sakhidroenergomtsheni".

The project's client is "Ixori Tamarashvili" LLC. They received a construction plan development permit from the Tbilisi Municipal Transport and Urban Development Agency on November 21, 2023. However, construction has been repeatedly delayed and is currently unfinished.

According to the Architectural Service website, the Ixori project's design includes two 48-story buildings, each 165 meters in height, which will be "connected via a podium." The project also includes 7 basement levels to house parking.

As part of the project, two vertical structures will be built joined by a partially perforated podium serving as a connection between the main entrances on Tamarashvili Street and the green zone.

"The project features: 950 parking spaces (levels LB 07-LB 02), commercial units (levels LB 01-L 02), a pool, spa, and gym (level L 03), and residential units (levels L 04-L 48 in both towers)," the explanatory note says.

Residents near Vere Gorge have protested a large-scale construction project for years. A letter to the City Hall from 133 residents of Tskneti Street, 14, says that the project's scale is unacceptable for the environment, both legally (Resolution No. 39-18, March 15, 2019) and aesthetically.

"...Large-scale construction in the ravine is strictly prohibited. Despite the project area being on a high geodynamic risk zone , with a significant landslide risk at the intermediate level, building directly in the riverbed to a planned seven-story depth is an unbelievable scale."

In addition, the project's main construction is centered within the zone, causing the building to fully block Tskneti Street, 14, from the south and creating an insolation problem.

"Lastly, the letter says that the entrances on Tskneti Street, 14 are in disrepairat with open pitfalls and broken steps, and the entrances will be fully ruined upon the arrival of the heavy equipment’- the explanatory note says.

Registered in 2017, IXOR TAMARASHVILI LLC has Valerian Kirkitadze as its director. The company is owned by IXOR LLC (80%) and Giorgi Tabatadze (20%). The ownership of IXORI LLC is distributed among Valerian Kirkitadze, Levan Turdzeladze, and Aleksandre Tsulukidze.