The government of Greece has reportedly revealed that the latest redevelopment plan for the site of the former Elliniko International Airport is now set to include the construction of an integrated casino resort facing the Aghios Cosmas marina.
Located a little over four miles south of central Athens, the coastal site hosted the nation’s main international airport until 2001 when the much larger Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos was opened in advance of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. The 1,532-acre plot subsequently fell into disrepair and currently features numerous illegal buildings including a row of former nightclubs in various states of disrepair.
According to reports from the Greek Reporter news agency and the I Kathimerini daily newspaper, the redevelopment scheme for the now-abandoned site, which is being called The Hellinikon,?is set to include the construction of a pair of multi-use buildings featuring 40 to 45 floors and offering a hotel as well as a casino resort.
Set to be managed by local firms Lamda Development and Hellinikon Global I SA, the redevelopment project is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars and will additionally include the clean-up and renovation of the once-pristine Aghios Cosmas beach.
“The investor, with the cooperation of the architects it has hired, has presented an idea,” said an unidentified source cited by I Kathimerini. “If this idea is not supported by the relevant license, then the cost will be drastically altered.”