The Spanish Government has formalized the free transfer of the former building of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), known as Villa Etxaide Borda, located at Caserío Parada street, number 48, in the Intxaurrondo neighborhood of Donostia, to the Basque Government. The Department of Housing and Urban Agenda will allocate 7 million euros from its 2027 budget to renovate the property and create up to 42 endowment apartments for protected rental, which will be managed by the Basque public company Alokabide.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda, Denis Itxaso, emphasized the importance of utilizing public heritage and underused buildings for citizens, especially given the housing access difficulties faced by young people. "We cannot afford to have public heritage or underutilized buildings while so many people struggle to access housing," Itxaso stated, presenting the transformation of this building as an example of the Basque Government's strategy: "recover what exists, renovate it, and turn it into a concrete solution. That is the difference between resigning ourselves to the housing problem or governing it: putting available resources at the service of the citizens".
The building, formerly housing AEMET and other state services, had been vacant for years and showed significant deterioration. However, technical analyses confirm its main structure is recoverable. The preliminary project proposes reorganizing the volume to create 38 one-bedroom apartments and 4 adapted two-bedroom apartments, along with common areas. It also includes reusing the existing underground parking (42 spaces) and creating over 500 square meters of community urban gardens.
The apartments, managed by Alokabide, will be integrated into the Basque public protected rental network and will function as rotational housing, facilitating temporary stays for young people facing challenges in accessing the residential market. Itxaso highlighted that "youth housing demands speed, land, available assets, and cooperation between institutions," demonstrating that "administrations can do more than just diagnose the housing emergency: they can transform underutilized assets into real solutions".
This initiative is part of the Basque Government's strategy to expand the public affordable rental stock and mobilize public assets. For Donostia, this project adds 42 new apartments for young people, recovers a public building, and secures a clear budgetary investment for its effective transformation.
