The city of Kotka and AALTO Development have made a preliminary agreement for the development of the Hietanen car park

8.5.2025 | The city of Kotka and real estate development company AALTO Development Oy have signed a preliminary agreement, according to which the city reserves an area of 86.7 hectares from the Hietanen car park for the company.

AALTO Development Oy is a private Finnish real estate development company founded in 1992, focusing on high-quality architecture, urban planning, zoning development projects, and changes of land use.

AALTO Development already owns the former Sunila pulp mill located across from the Hietanen car park, on the other side of the bay. The company is developing, together with Gen-H Oy, solutions for green hydrogen production, among other things. The Sunila factory area and Hietanen car park will form a mutually supporting industrial cluster for the green transition in the future.

The city has been negotiating with various stakeholders regarding the development and leasing of the Hietanen car park area, and now AALTO Development Oy has been selected as the developer, with the plan bringing diverse uses to the area, creating jobs and economic impact for the city. The area covered by the preliminary agreement is reserved for the company to prepare the project’s planning and implementation.

The company’s intention is to later lease the land area covered by the preliminary agreement from the city under a long-term land lease agreement and implement solar-based electricity and hydrogen production, energy storage, and regulation power, as well as conduct hydroponic farming utilizing waste heat.

The area reserved by the preliminary agreement covers approximately 86.7 hectares. The designated land use for the area according to the zoning plan is “T,” for industrial and warehouse building block areas.

The reservation period is six months starting from May 7, 2025. The city commits to continuing the reservation for additional six-month periods, up to a maximum of one and a half years, or until the permits required for the project’s progress have been resolved, upon the company’s written request.

If the company decides to proceed with the project and leases the area for its use, the reservation fee for the ongoing six-month reservation period will be fully credited to the company.