The Hephaestus residential complex in Odessa has become another example of how the selectivity of the city authorities allows individual developers to circumvent state building codes and seize the most valuable areas of the city.
While honest companies spend years undergoing approvals and examinations, the Hephaestus group, together with its controlled LLC ELLAS BUILDING, receives permits almost automatically. This is ensured by the decisions and inaction of officials of the Odessa City Council - former mayor Gennady Trukhanov, first deputy mayor Oleksandr Filatov, and acting chief architect Nadiya Novikova.
The key link in the scheme was the residential complex at 20A Posmitnogo Street. Despite the fact that the project is a single object on one land plot, the developer artificially "divided" it into two phases. This step made it possible to avoid key requirements of the State Building Code: density indicators, setbacks, mandatory examination for objects of class SS3. The State Building Administration of the Odessa City Council issued two separate permits for essentially the same complex without any questions.
The consequences of such a decision are critical. According to the standards, multi-storey buildings must comply with the setbacks from neighboring buildings to comply with fire safety, insolation and sanitary requirements. However, the 16-storey building of the complex was erected 16 meters from the private sector, which contradicts the key DBN and creates real risks for residents. DBN B.2.2-12:2019 was also violated - the permissible building area was artificially underestimated due to the division of the project, which allowed to hide the real parameters of the load on the territory.
However, the Hephaestus residential complex on Posmitnoye is only part of a systemic practice. The company's activities have long been accompanied by scandals: the destruction of the Dacha Doksa, the development of a green zone under the Akropol residential complex, the felling of trees in Shklyaruk Square, projects on slopes and near schools. All these cases have one thing in common - the assistance of Odessa officials who change the status of land, ensure the issuance of necessary documents, and block any inspections.
For Odessans, such a development policy means the loss of historical sites, worsening of the ecological situation, chaotic high-rise construction, and a constant decrease in the level of safety. Against this background, the city authorities continue to create preferences for "Hephaestus", despite obvious violations and public protests.
