Home of the Taverna Latina restaurant City wants to sell villa in the Kurpark
Bad Godesberg · The villa at the Grün-Weiss Tennis Club in Bad Godesberg has hardly been renovated in more than 30 years. Of four apartments, only one is inhabited, and in the carriage house next door there is mold. The city plans to sell to an investor.
Some politicians have concerns related to the sale of the villa so the issue was postponed for the non-public meeting of the finance committee. Apparently there is worry that the building at Koblenzer Straße 76 is being offered up for too low a price. It currently houses the Taverna Latina restaurant. GA has learned that the villa, including a 1500 square meter lot is being offered for around 580,000 euros, which is said to be around 100,000 euros below market value. The city council now has to decide what to do. It is scheduled to meet at the end of January. But it’s possible that the topic would once again be postponed.
The tennis club maintains two bureaus in the villa, and there are changing rooms and showers, explains the club chair Albrecht Piltz. In addition, there are two apartments in each of the two upper floors. Only one is lived in, the one for the person in charge of maintaining the tennis facility. Piltz indicated that they were not occupied due to building code, meaning they were in need of renovation. The carriage house consists of a garage where the tennis school is located. “It is only fit for demolition,” says Piltz.
In response to a GA inquiry, the city responded that the tennis club location should be secured and strengthened in any sale that would happen. The eight outdoor courts and two indoor courts remain the property of the city. According to Piltz, this contract lasts until 2025 - with the option of an extension. Founded in 1900, the club has 600 members, half of them children.
Apartments should be made move-in ready
The tennis club wants the investor to involve it in the refurbishment, because it wants to continue using the neighboring villa in the future. The flats should become accessible again and the restaurant should be preserved. "We will definitely continue our business in the next year," says Taverna manager Marcelo Humeres, who is going on vacation for the first time and will reopen his restaurant in early February. His contract has just been extended by two years.
The spot is also popular with guests who do not play tennis - especially in the evenings when there is live music. And there are plans for this again next year. Piltz hopes that after the renovation, which will cost a lot of money, that the offer in the villa will be a little more attractive.
Monika Heinzel of the Green party feels this is an indirect way of supporting sports and that the city is selling the villa for below market value. “The city can not do that,” she said. The sale of the villa had not yet been fully discussed in the council coalition. Philipp Lerch of the CDU party said they would examine the administrative proposal and discuss it. “The outcome, but not only the financial outcome, must be right. Our focus is also on the long-term use of the area for the good of Bad Godesberg,” said Lerch.
For Bärbel Richter of the SPD party, she felt the issue came to them very suddenly and that one had to delve in further and look at what effects this would have on the Kurpark. (Orig. text: Richard Bongartz. Translation: ck)
