This initiative seeks to address the housing crisis and is part of the council's commitment to identify and repurpose vacant spaces quickly into homes. The goal is to integrate these new dwellings into the city's Rental Housing Exchange.
The Councilor for Housing, Anabel Martínez, emphasized that “our objective is to continue reclaiming spaces and make the maximum possible number of affordable homes available to citizens as quickly as possible.” The project in Gaudí involves creating four apartments with usable areas ranging from 52 to 68 square meters, featuring one or three bedrooms.
The renovation plans are drafted, and the tender for the works, budgeted at 270,000 euros, will commence shortly. These municipal spaces are located in the Cobalt Block and were previously used for training programs. Construction is set to begin by the end of the year and is expected to take four months, with the apartments becoming available to the public by mid-2027.
The Gaudí route is just the beginning. Mayor Sandra Guaita has announced that a thorough analysis of vacant municipal spaces is underway to assess their suitability for conversion into apartments. The council is also considering relocating municipal services housed in apartments to ground floors to free up residential units.
This model is also intended for the private sector. The City Council is calling on owners of vacant commercial premises to consider this option, inspired by models such as that in Barcelona. Many 20th-century commercial spaces in Reus have become vacant due to changes in consumer habits and the transformation of the commercial fabric.
