After 6 years of back and forth, the transfer of Rai in Milan to the buildings of the Fiera Milano Foundation is starting to find its own definition. On the upper floors of Viale Mazzini, the aim is to shorten the times and to arrive at a final ok this year.
This will be discussed at the board meeting on February 15th. However, the turning point was at the board meeting of 25 January. The one in which the case of the 2023 budget exploded, voted in extremis on Monday 30 avoiding a rejection that would have meant no confidence for Rai CEO Carlo Fuortes. However, as reported in the company press release, during that session “we proceeded with updates on the progress of the real estate plan, with particular reference to the Rai production center in Milan”. On which, as reported by Il Sole 24 Ore, a path has been taken that aims to now quickly arrive at the The End.
Negotiation with Fiera Milano
Negotiations on spaces, costs and modalities between Rai and the Fiera Milano Foundation, owner of the spaces intended to host the regional television broadcaster, are in fact currently underway. An agreement that lacks the final signature but that seems to have been done. During the board meeting on the 25th, according to Sole 24 Ore, CEO Fuortes was given a mandate, together with his front lines involved in the real estate plan, to evaluate a possible option in the MiCo Nord area. This is an acceleration on the dossier with the idea of arriving at the final signing of the agreement by the end of 2023 and starting the works to facilitate the relocation of the offices – for which the material start will in all probability be around 2025.
At the moment there are two hypotheses in the field: the first, considered more interesting, is the transfer to pavilions 1 and 2 of the Foundation, adjacent to the new Citylife district, in the North West area of Milan. This was the prevailing idea already five years ago, and even now it continues to be considered the most valid, given that here there is the possibility of renting out up to 40,000 square metres, two complete pavilions on two floors.
The second hypothesis, which was discussed precisely during the penultimate Rai board meeting, is to use the old headquarters of the Milan fair in via Domodossola in Milan. These are the two most realistic scenarios.