An aerial car park to accompany the Millénaire tower, at this entrance to Caen
By Christophe Jaquet
Published on
By 2025, and the Millennium of Caen (Calvados), this entrance to the city, which is a little underprivileged today, could become unavoidable. Between the Cours Montalivet and the train station, near the Rives de l’Orne, the land occupied until then by the Maison du vélo et du parking, will accommodate the future Millénaire tower. An emblem for Caen, visible from the Calix viaduct.
The building with a height of about 60 meters, with 15-18 floors, will not be the only ones to grow in this place. UN parking lot must accompany him. And even precede it. This is what emerges from the municipal council of Caen, Monday June 27, 2022. The elected officials of Caen approved the transfer by the City of an 844 m² plot of land to SNCF Gares et Connexions.
Avenue Mendès-France “redeveloped”
It is there, on avenue Pierre-Mendès-France, very close “to the North exit of the station”, “facing the office buildings of the Rives de l’Orne”, that the public company will entrust Effia , a subsidiary of the Keolis group, the construction of this aerial car park spans 4 floors.
It must contain 869 seats. With specific parking for bicycles (200 spaces) and motorized two-wheelers on the ground floor.
According to Nicolas Joyau, town planning assistant, it could also house the station’s drop-off point. This requires completely redoing the esplanade and the northern access to the station.
Avenue Mendès-France will be redeveloped by the urban community of Caen la mer to accompany the operation, with the removal of the two cycle lanes on the roadway in favor of the creation of a two-way cycle path to the south of the avenue.
A car park for Caen la mer
During the municipal council, the opposition was generally in favor of the parking silo project. Xavier Le Coutour, for the Citoyens group in Caen, is just worried about his aesthetics. “This car park is the first choice that travelers will see when arriving in Caen. With, also, the water tower redecorated by Norman graffiti artist Piotre. This is why the elected official calls for and hopes that an architectural competition will make this future silo “very qualitative equipment”. A difficult procedure to impose on the SNCF, according to Nicolas Joyau.
For his part, Rudy L’Orphelin is more doubtful. For the leader of ecologists, this new project demonstrates that “Caen la mer has not done the work to promote alternative mobility” to the car, in a district well equipped in this area. Mayor Joël Bruneau replied that “this car park is especially made for those who smoke the train and come from outside Caen”.
In addition, this new car park in Caen should benefit the community. Caen la mer has pre-empted 200 places there, for the benefit of its agents.
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