Investor Mindia Sabanadze has described the planned Cityzen Expo multifunctional complex as a rescue project for Expo Georgia, saying the development is intended to preserve the site’s exhibition function, green spaces and architectural heritage. The founder of Cityzen told BMG that the land is entirely privately owned and that the company expects to receive a construction permit in the near future.
Sabanadze said the project’s development parameters had been significantly reduced. Although the site originally had a construction coefficient of 4.6, the company lowered it to 2.1, limiting the planned usable floor area to 180,000 square metres, compared with nearly 500,000 square metres that could have been built under the original coefficient. He said construction would cover 18% of the site’s outer edges, while the green and recreational areas would remain untouched and protected under a special decree issued by the prime minister.
According to Sabanadze, the decree also requires the site to remain accessible to the public 24 hours a day and preserve its exhibition functions, which the company plans to expand by 10,000 square metres. The project also includes a new piazza, a reflecting pool near the “Ascension” sculpture and additional monumental artworks. He argued that without the development, the site could have faced piecemeal sales and unplanned construction.
The company began pre-sales for Cityzen Expo on October 22. The project’s total investment is estimated at approximately $500 million, with plans centred on preserving and restoring a 10-hectare century-old forest park, an artificial lake, exhibition pavilions and the site’s architectural heritage. Sabanadze expressed confidence that the construction permit would be granted, arguing that the company had fulfilled more requirements than legally necessary.
