Palma plans to create 131 parking spaces on the site of the former Lluís Sitjar

From stadium to parking space: 131 parking spaces for Palma

If you’re traveling through Palma’s northwest, you’ve surely seen the old Lluís Sitjar stadium site: a large, vacant area, fences here and there, and the occasional jog along the edge. The city now wants to repurpose the area and create space for 131 cars. In recent days this has provided talking points in cafés and at Plaça.

What exactly is planned

It’s about a roughly 30,000 square meter property on which not only parking spaces will be created in the future. According to the plans, about a quarter of the area will be laid out as green space and planted with trees – a kind of small reforestation that should adjoin the future city forest of the former Tirador Velodrome. In addition, areas for a sports hall and care facilities are planned.

The new parking spaces are to be located parallel to Ramón Picó y Campamar street. The city also intends to adjust the road layout in the surrounding area to improve entry and exit situations. The responsible city councilor emphasized that the goal is to increase accessibility and reduce the pressure on the existing parking facilities.

Ownership and planning

Important for the project was that the city had taken full control of the site. Previously it owned most of the titles; by a final agreement the ownership is now entirely in municipal hands. This now allows changes to the General Municipal Development Plan (PGOU), which formally enable the project.

"We reorganize the site so that it can be used by the city and fits better into the surrounding area," said a city hall representative. In other words: parking spaces, paths, green areas and facilities should match – at least on paper.

How the neighborhood has reacted

During a walk on a cool morning I met residents who view the project with mixed feelings. An elderly woman at the bus stop was glad for more parking spaces for visitors to the clinic. A young father, however, feared that more cars could also mean more noise and traffic. The city will likely hear such voices at future meetings.

Whether the measure will sustainably relieve the parking situation or only relocate it in the short term also depends on vehicle numbers, cycling and pedestrian planning, and future uses of the site. The fact remains: the former stadium is becoming a new municipal space – with opportunities, but also questions that must be answered now.

The city administration has initiated the amendment to the development plan; further steps, public consultations, and concrete construction plans are to follow.