Where sailors used to be the hosts, they will now be neighbors. Instead of the originally planned building—which was to include a hotel, sailing club headquarters, and conference facilities—a complex with nearly 250 investment apartments and facilities for sailing clubs is now being built at the yacht marina in Gdynia.
The area located between the M. Zaruski marina and Jana Pawła II Avenue in Gdynia has a long sailing tradition. It was here that, until recently, the sailing club buildings—constructed back in the 1970s—stood. In 2015, the Polish Sailing Association, which holds a perpetual usufruct right to the land, signed an agreement with Gdynia’s sailing clubs and the Polish Scouting Association regarding the construction of Nowa Marina Gdynia. It was announced that the project would provide“professional facilities for sailing and water sports.”
The plans were ambitious: office space for managing the marina, training rooms, and restroom facilities. According to the City, a key element of the complex was to be“a hotel section, which will offer tourists approximately 200 air-conditioned rooms, each with a sea view.” Hotel guests and sailors were to have access to a fitness center with a spa area.
“The buildinghas evolved toward a residential development”
“The building area will be 9,200 square meters, while the usable area will be 3,200 square meters— over 50 percent of which will be made available to sailors. The facility will consist of four above-ground floors and one underground floor—a parking garage,” the City of Gdynia stated in a press release at the time.
Completion of the project was planned for 2018, but nothing came of those announcements.
Back in 2014, an urban planning and architectural competition organized in collaboration with SARP was decided. Through provisions in local zoning plans, the city requires that architectural competitions be held for prestigious locations. The renowned Studio Kwadrat from Gdynia won the competition. The concept will not be implemented, even though a building permit was obtained for the project at the time.
A lot has changed since then. In 2021, the Polish Sailing Association signed an agreement with a Belgian developer. Ghelamco acquired an 80 percent stake in Nowa Marina Gdynia, a company established by the association, which is the formal owner of the site.
“For some time, we worked with the developer to find a constructive compromise between their business expectations and our vision for this place,” recalls Jacek Droszcz of Studio Kwadrat. “Over time, I came to the conclusion that the proposed changes were causing the building to evolve into a residential development and stray too far from the original competition design. I protested against these actions.” In this situation, the developer decided to organize a new architectural competition in accordance with the provisions of the local zoning plan.
Studio Kwadrat chose not to participate in the subsequent competition, despite receiving an invitation. The winning design was submitted by PIG Architekci —a firm renowned for its public and sports facilities.
The project will include 47 units with views of the harbor or marina, as well as facilities for Gdynia’s sailing clubs
Press materials / Ghelamco
Developer: Apartments, investment units, and facilities for clubs
According to the developer, the mixed-use complex will include 247 units with views of the port or marina, as well as facilities for Gdynia’s sailing clubs: boat hangars, club rooms, and an underground garage.
In practice, these are investment apartments. Residential units cannot be built here because the local zoning plan for this area is designated for commercial development and maritime tourism services. Recently, the project has also undergone a change in ownership. Under the new model, the Atlas Ward Group has acquired a 60% stake in the project company and assumed the role of strategic investor. Ghelamco will retain a 20% stake, while another 20% remains, as before, owned by the Polish Yachting Association (PZŻ). Last week, the cornerstone for the project was laid.
The complex will feature 247 investment units with views of the harbor or marina. The units will range in size from approximately 25 to approximately 125 square meters, with a total usable area of approximately 13,000 square meters. Sales are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. We will provide more information about the offering closer to that date,” Miłosz Greszta, investment director at Atlas Ward Polska, told AiB.
The developer states that the building willhouse the headquarters of the JKM Gryf, YK Stal, and Polish Yacht Club, as well as space for the Polish Yachting Association (PZŻ). The Polish Sailing Association will receive 5,000 sq m, within which “sailing clubs will occupy most of the ground floor, and each will have approximately 750 sq m of space at its disposal for its statutory activities.” These spaces will include hangars as well as storage, training, office, and staff facilities. Atlas Ward Polska adds that the outdoor area facing the marina will serve sailors, among other things, as a place to maneuver yachts.
The project was designed by PIG Architekci.
Press materials / Ghelamco
This area has always been public and open to the public. “Transforming it into private property will limit its public function, regardless of the fact that spaces for sailors will be created, ” comments Łukasz Piesiewicz, a city council member representing the Civic Coalition, Urban Movements, and the Left. — For over a decade, by deciding to amend the zoning plan and the perpetual usufruct agreement (changing the designation from “sports” to “services”), the city has missed an opportunity to secure better conditions for developing this site. A building with rental apartments and club headquarters, but without a hotel, is not the best idea for developing this valuable site.
Is the current division between commercial use and spaces for sailors satisfactory to the Polish Yachting Association (PZŻ)?
The current division is the result of mutual agreements between the PZŻ, the Gdynia sailing clubs (JKM Gryf, YK Stal, and YKP), and the developer. Each party has approved the final solutions,” comments Magdalena Cytling-Pstrągowska of the PZŻ.
Homes for sailing clubs are also being built as part of the Olympic Sailing Center, which is being constructed with public funds by the City of Gdynia.
The space will be allocated primarily to sailing clubs that receive grants from the City of Gdynia’s budget for sports training for children and youth. In 2026, the following clubs will receive grants: Yacht Klub Polski, MKŻ “Arka,” UKŻ “Opti CWM,” and YK STAL,” listsJakub Winiewski from the Gdynia City Hall.
The usable area designated for this purpose, including office space, training facilities, and hangars, totals approximately 1,645 square meters.
