“FUltimately, not much is known about this. We hear a lot of “on-dit”.”
Behind her display, Mary shrugs her shoulders. For two years, she has been the owner of the Félix butcher shop, located in the hamlet of La Baronne, in La Gaude. She knows that a big project is planned in the area, but she only knows the outlines.
Like many traders in the sector, she is waiting to see what the concerted development zone (Zac) will look like, as much as she is dreading the work.
“What businesses will they open?”
As a reminder, this Zac planned for the hamlet of Baronne announces the arrival of 570 housing units, 1,500m2 commercial units, new infrastructure as well as an expansion of the school [notre édition de samedi]sidewalks, a new road axis and a pedestrian zone with a central square. Colossal.
The mayor of La Gaude, Bruno Bettati, likes to point out that for this project, it was the owners who were able to decide to whom they wanted to sell.
For traders, this is an opportunity: “It could bring me more customers, so that’s a good thing”Mary admits. The question she asks herself, however?
“What businesses are they going to put in? We would really need a vending machine, a pharmacy… But this project could bring life to the neighborhood. That would be a plus, because we are a little out of the center.”
Right next to the Félix butcher shop is the restaurant Le Cristiano. Tariq and Adrien bought the establishment in December 2023. They did not know about the future Zac.
For them, it’s a godsend: “We work a lot with the industrial zone of Saint-Laurent-du-Var, at midday, developed Tariqbut we wanted to start opening certain evenings and it’s not working much… New construction could bring us customers. This is good news.”
Any apprehension? “We will now see if the work does not impact us too much, whether for the accessibility of the restaurant or the noise, which would inconvenience people who have lunch on the terrace.”
“Become a more lively neighborhood”
Mathieu and Kevin took over a commercial unit located in La Baronne, in July 2023, to open the Hand Bar shop. The concept: a bar restaurant coupled with a store specializing in handball. “We knew about the future Zac, the mayor introduced him to us when we arrived, shares Mathieu. But it’s true that it remains quite vague.”
He also sees the opportunity: “In the evening here, it’s not lively. Perhaps it will become a more lively neighborhood.” But the worry about the work persists for him too. “We were already in trouble last summer, when they redid the roads for the water.”
Frédéric is the owner of the Auberge de la Baronne. He has run the PMU bar as well as the hotel since 1989. He recognizes: “It will revitalize the neighborhood, it’s true. It’s a great project.”
But worry: “We are in the heart of the area. We are the business most concerned and potentially the most impacted. And yet, no one came to consult us directly. When we heard about it, we went to see the project plan on the Internet. And then we saw that something was planned in our parking lot.”
When there is “about three years”, people sent by the project owner (1) came to the parking lot of the Auberge de la Baronne, Frédéric saw red and contacted the project owner.
“Without parking, I’m out of business!”
Verdict: “They want to buy my entire parking lot, to make it a pedestrian space.” The problem? “I use this parking lot for both businesses, because I rent the walls next door to a restaurant. In his lease, he is entitled to 300m² of parking. Then what do I do, with no place to park? Parking, It’s the crux of the matter for running a business. It would be the death of my business, I can go out of business without it!”
According to Frédéric, the project owner does not wish to buy back his 600m² of buildings. And he would have been told that there would be no expropriation. “Even if it’s always a risk…”, he fears.
“In this case, we will fight by all means. But he seems to want to find a solution. I was told that in the spring, the architect would come and present me with a modification of the project.”
1. The public development establishment Nice Ecovallée (EPA)
The mayor: “We are going to redevelop everything there, it’s a chance”
The mayor of La Gaude, Bruno Bettati, considers that the information has gone well on the project of the concerted development zone, planned for the hamlet of La Baronne: “With all the public meetings, consultations etc., people cannot say that they were not aware. We are not going to go knock on the door of each person to present the plans and get their opinion .”
The project is progressing. “I just regret the deadlines imposed on us by the Town Planning Code. But two building permits have already been granted. The first for a building of 65 housing units and the other, for a building of 102 housing units. Two other permits should will soon be granted.”
The requalification of the Marcellin Allo bar is announced for 2025. “We are also going to create a road barrier so as not to congest the hamlet.”
The elected official shows himself, once again, convinced by this project: “It will revitalize the neighborhood, it’s good for businesses. There will be commercial units, widened, adapted sidewalks. We’re going to redevelop everything there, that’s an opportunity. It’s a project in the zeitgeist.”
And he reassures traders: “The work will be carried out in phases, so there should be no problems.”
A new place instead of the parking lot
If many traders are impatiently awaiting the birth of the project, there are at least some who are worried.
The concerted development zone (Zac), planned for the hamlet of La Baronne, in La Gaude, is of concern to Frédéric, owner of the Auberge de la Baronne and the PMU bar (read elsewhere).
The owner of this colossal project? The public development establishment Nice Ecovallée (EPA).
Pauline Montagnon, project director for the EPA, confirms: “Indeed, it is planned to make a space where the parking lot of this gentleman’s business is located. It would be the entrance to the neighborhood, like a large square with future businesses, peaceful spaces for pedestrians, etc.”
She supports: “This is something that was requested a lot during public consultations.”
Problem for Frédéric: without parking, it’s “death” of his business. “We have been in talks with him for two years. We have already met him several times to discuss it. We are studying, we are still at the reflection stage. We are in the process of evaluating with him, how many places he would need now and in the future. We are going to work together to find solutions. Today, the place is a wasteland. We are going to find a good balance, we already have constructive discussions. It will be a living hamlet.”
The start of work on the first buildings is planned for 2025.
