The purchase of the municipal Eucalyptus field by JPM Alimentation, whose aim is to establish a U shopping center in its place, does not have unanimous support in the Caucade neighborhood.
When the local residents learned about the purchase, for many, it was a cold shower. Sold for nearly three million euros in 2020, the Eucalyptus stadium has certainly sparked the ambitions of the new buyers: 250 parking spaces, a 2,300 m² supermarket, and a 2,500 m² sports deck on the roof that will remain under the control of the city hall.
Located in the heart of Nice-West, the Eucalyptus stadium is highly valuable. In the area, it is the only sports escape offered to the residents of the neighborhood. And even though the Moulins deck and the Mercantour Complex are not at the other end of the city, the lack of public transport, coupled with the seemingly endless Arénas construction, makes the site difficult to access.
> “There are no equivalent facilities for miles around.”
> —Romain, resident of the Caucade neighborhood
As a stadium user, Romain disapproves, like many of his neighbors, of U’s commercial ambitions. He initiated a petition contesting the project, launched in May 2022, which now has more than 1,200 signatures. He is baffled: “*When you don’t have transportation, it quickly becomes complicated. They plan to destroy the stadium and carry out almost two years of construction; in the meantime, where are the residents and, primarily, the high school students going to do sports?*”
Indeed, the schools in the area, which have benefitted from the stadium for student sports activities, will now find themselves at a standstill for a while. Alternatives being considered, like the Charles-Ehrmann stadium, seem to cost time and money.
@StadedesEuca
## A Project that Raises Ethical Concerns
*”In view of climate change and the neighborhood’s needs, the project is not legitimate,”* says Romain. He continues: “*We’re in a suffocating neighborhood, with traffic jams morning and night, plus a freeway entrance near the stadium… They’re going to add a lot of traffic while we already have very few public transport options. So for us, it’s going to be a big problem, which was clearly not anticipated.*”
The residents’ anger persists, especially since a U Express is available nearby. A complaint has even been filed by the competitor Casino, further delaying the start of construction. Without losing hope, the protestors have tried to reason with the City of Nice, but to no avail. For Romain, the stance of the higher authorities is unclear: “*We have tried to contact the City. This project is not for the people of Nice, but for a supermarket operator who already has four locations in the Alpes-Maritimes and just wants to expand. There’s no financial or ecological interest for the City, their approach is not clear at all.*” However, the City of Nice assures that it will reinvest the three million euros from the sale of the land into the sports infrastructure of the future shopping center.
## An Offer that Meets Demand?
Clément Bourassin, General Director of JPM Alimentation, explains that the project indeed holds significance: “*There is no forcing through, just the desire to advance a project within lawful parameters. This project is dear to us because we have been working under difficult conditions at the U Express on Avenue Sainte-Marguerite for 20 years. The customers are as eager for it as we are.*” (Actu.fr)
In a statement to Nice-Matin, the area’s deputy, Monique Bailer, praises the merits of such a project: *”A quality construction. We are replacing an old, obsolete stadium with a modern sports deck. We are creating a requested commercial offering and parking in a neighborhood flooded with double-parking. All in a R + 1 building, integrated into the topography, which does not create a visual impact for the residents of neighboring buildings.”*
In short, despite the protest from a significant portion of the neighborhood’s residents, the work will begin shortly. A total of eighteen months of construction is planned, with completion expected by 2025.
