Construction work, upgrading, purchase offer... What does the future hold for the shopping mall in this ski resort on the Côte d'Azur?

In a Facebook post, Mylène Agnelli, mayor of Isola, warned of the worrying situation of the resort's shopping mall. She would like to continue to operate and finance it. But the procedure no longer allows her to do so.

The issue is delicate: the gallery belongs to private co-owners. But to ensure the survival of this economic lifeblood of the resort, the town of Isola participated in financing the gallery. "There was a provisional agreement established in 2001 that allowed the town hall to temporarily manage this space while the traders and owners found a viable financing solution," recalls Mylène Agnelli.

600,000 euros per year paid by the City

The town hall therefore made available 600,000 euros each year to cover operating costs (including maintenance and security). For their part, all the co-owners contributed annually up to a maximum of "80,000 euros" .

An uncomfortable legal situation that needed to be corrected before June 2024. But "no proposal was made by the trustees or the traders to the municipality," which therefore continued to invest without any legal framework . "In agreement with the prefecture, and to allow the operation, I personally exposed myself to legal proceedings," confides Mylène Agnelli.

The city continued its funding until May 1st. But since then, it has no longer been allowed to invest a single cent in the gallery. "Now there's a real problem, because no one is responsible for the site's safety. Our municipal agents continue to patrol the site without any formalities to prevent fires," the mayor worries.

A buyout proposal made to traders

The mayor therefore made a proposal to the shop owners: that the municipality buy the gallery's inner courtyard, committing to paying all the costs of cleaning, maintenance, beautification, and compliance with standards for people with reduced mobility (compliance estimated at one million euros, to be completed before the end of 2026). That is 80% of the total costs, according to the mayor.

In return, it asks owners of establishments open to the public (ERP) to contribute €25 per square meter of publicly accessible space. "For a small 15m² hair salon, that's €375 per year," says Mylène Agnelli. But not all of the nine co-ownerships concerned, which include both shopkeepers and residents, agree with the proposal.

Co-ownerships in disagreement

According to Éric Martin, president of the Isola Socio-Professional Union (the merchants' association), this proposal should first be formalized with clear conditions. "We're being offered solutions, but without formalizing them in an agreement or document. We need to provide a framework, we need to budget," he laments. Furthermore, for him, the proposal to contribute per square meter is too unfair to merchants. "They would prefer a calculation based on capacity, which is more balanced," explains Éric Martin. Finally, the City's proposal is considered too expensive. "For seasonal merchants, that's a lot. We're proposing to contribute to security costs, which would amount to spending between €40,000 and €50,000 per year," the merchants' spokesperson estimates.

Mylène Agnelli insists: she doesn't want to buy the place at any cost. She simply wants to find a solution. "If the property managers have €600,000 a year to spend, it's possible. The city can only cover its costs as the operator of the public access building it has in the gallery for the nursery, the town hall annex, and the police station, among other things," the mayor suggests. Which, according to the president of the USPI, seems very complicated.

A planned safety inspection

At the request of the prefecture, a safety committee will assess the facilities this Thursday, June 19. It will determine what is up to standard and what is not. "The prefecture or the City will be forced to close the ERPs that do not comply with the rules and will receive an unfavorable opinion," warns Mylène Agnelli. In short: either the ERPs and co-ownerships concerned accept the City's purchase proposal, which will bring them up to standard and ensure routine maintenance, or they will have to quickly find a solution to comply, otherwise they will have to close their doors. "We hope it doesn't come to that. I hope that by the time the commission meets, everyone will have taken responsibility, because it would be a loss of income for each business and the resort," warns the mayor.

For now, the city is working with the merchants who have expressed support for the proposal. "We're currently drafting the specifications with them. We're now waiting for the others," the mayor said.