Madrid’s city government recently closed two land acquisitions with Whiteni Group, totaling 4.5 million euros allocated for the development of affordable housing. The first deal concluded on May 11 involved a plot in the Valdezarza area of the Moncloa-Aravaca district, located at 33 Sánchez Preciado Street. The city council secured 3.13 million euros from the transaction. The parcel sits opposite Dehesa de la Villa Park and is reachable in under 15 minutes by public transit from the Glorieta de Cuatro Caminos. The plan calls for a multi-storey building comprising 20 housing units on this site. In Canada and the United States, such public-private collaborations are often cited as efficient models for accelerating affordable housing supply within urban cores, illustrating a trend toward mixed-use, service-rich residential environments that balance density with livability. (Attribution: Whiteni sources cited in local press)
Second, a second parcel in Carabanchel was acquired for 1.4 million euros. Whiteni, established in 2017, intends to deliver 18 apartments on this site with a similar boutique residential concept, emphasizing quality amenities and integrated services to match rising neighborhood expectations. (Attribution: local reporting on Whiteni)
The Whiteni group has explained that there is a noticeable shortage of new constructions that align with the rising demand in certain districts and with socio-cultural shifts in neighborhoods increasingly seeking superior housing, services, and communal areas. The aim for both projects is to create what the company describes as boutique developments that mimic the feel and functionality of larger residential complexes. Plans include integrated garages and storage spaces, enhancing convenience for residents. Comprehensive management, real estate-urban consultancy, and financial planning for both projects will be provided by Whiteni, ensuring coordinated delivery through Next Advice. (Attribution: Whiteni communications)
This acquisition aligns with a broader initiative in which public land sales are used to stimulate housing production, including a competitive process that sometimes allows bids below reserve when no higher bid appears. The 2021 program for nine residential plots illustrates how the city has experimented with direct acquisition and negotiated outcomes to boost stock. (Attribution: city council records and media coverage)
Sale of public land
Since the current legislative period began, the municipal government has conducted multiple competitions to release public land from administrative use. For example, the 2023 budgets anticipated the sale of three tertiary-use plots in Valdebebas, a northern urban development area, with an overall potential revenue of roughly 139.9 million euros for the public treasury. In one instance, a 33.52 million euro sale did not proceed to tender. (Attribution: municipal budget summaries)
Similar dynamics unfolded in 2020 and 2021 in the same neighborhood, where two adjacent, previously abandoned plots were released. By 2022, Stoneweg, a Swiss-based administrator, paid around 45 million euros to acquire these parcels via direct bidding with the intention of building flexible apartments on tertiary land. (Attribution: development reporting)
The Urban Development Zone also entered a tender for nine plots intended for industrial and logistics use, with a value of 29.24 million euros excluding taxes. Bids were received for only two plots, and awards went to Construcciones Eliseo Pla Ramírez SL and the AhorraMás supermarket chain, which paid 3.05 and 2.37 million euros respectively. (Attribution: local procurement updates)
Although a direct sale model is not universal, the legislature’s flagship effort in land development has frequently centered on rental housing on public lands. As reported, Culmia, Vía Ágora, and Pecsa-Avintia were granted the necessary surface rights to construct and eventually rent approximately 2,000 below-market units across several districts, illustrating a persistent emphasis on rental housing expansion within urban policy in this city. (Attribution: policy announcements)