Cagliari, €16.5 million deal for the new ARPAS headquarters.

A €16.5 million deal is done: Arpas, the Region, and Tepor have reached an agreement to finalize the real estate transaction for the purchase of the new headquarters of the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection.

The joint-stock company is selling a property on Via San Paolo in Cagliari, which will house its offices, for €9.3 million—cash funds to be paid by ARPAS—plus the exchange of two other properties owned by the Region, valued at €7.2 million. One is the former residence of the Air Force commander on Via Is Guadazzonis, also in Cagliari, which stands on land (suitable for development) opposite the Monte Urpinu fuel depot, a former disused (and never used) military easement. The other is a commercial space that once housed Isola in Porto Cervo, in the Arzachena area, valued at €3.15 million.

All that's missing is the notary's appointment, but that's just a formality. The parties involved have reached a settlement agreement that closes a dispute that began in 2019, stalled due to Covid, and then accelerated on the last day of Christian Solinas's administration (with a resolution dated February 23, 2024, the eve of the elections), threatening to escalate into a multi-million dollar dispute. All this while ARPAS doesn't have a headquarters in acceptable condition: the building on Via Contivecchi has structural deficiencies that prompted the general director, Nicoletta Vannina Ornano, to send everyone to smart working in October .

Problems had been emerging for some time. So much so that the tender for the purchase of the new offices dates back to 2019. Tepor, which had offered a building on Via Posada, had won the bid for a price of €19.5 million. However, the process stalled, and an exchange of formal letters and formal warnings ensued. Meanwhile, appraisals were requested from the Revenue Agency and the State Property Office. Tepor complained of damages due to the loss of revenue from the available property. Appraisals were requested, and the correspondence intensified. Solinas thought he could settle the matter with the last-minute resolution. But no agreement on the price was reached: the Region, with Alessandra Todde as president, wanted to pay only €16.1 million (cash plus the exchange of the two public buildings). Tepor's lawyers (Matilde Mura's firm) haggled over the price, which increased to over €17 million.

To avoid going to court (the last formal notice dates back to November), the parties have decided to sign the settlement. The Campo Largo council passed its resolution on December 12th, while ARPAS issued its ruling on the 23rd (the day before Christmas Eve). The agreement must be signed before a notary within the current month. The final price is €16.5 million.