Part of the Yerevan Development Tracker
Noragyugh — “Yerevan Downtown”
Approved, pre-constructionA plan to rebuild the Noragyugh quarter of Kentron, on Paskevich Hill at the edge of the Hrazdan gorge, into a new city centre: 83.9 hectares, about 155 buildings and roughly 65,000 residents over about ten years.
Last updated:
Where it stands today
An approved programme with an expropriation mandate, not a construction site. The Cabinet approved the scheme on 29 January 2026 and authorised the mayor to sign acquisition contracts with DITI Construction and DITI Development, compensating owners at market value plus 30%. As of 28 July 2026 there is no signed investment agreement, no named financier, no completed techno-economic justification, no architectural competition and no groundbreaking. The legal framework is the new General Plan of Yerevan, adopted on 10 September 2024 after the capital had spent four years without a valid master plan.
How this page is built
Every entry in the timelines is tied to a dated, published source — a government decision, an official municipal statement, a signed contract or a completed tender. Promises, intentions and announced future deadlines are kept out of the timelines and listed separately under “What to watch next”.
Confirmed milestones
Mayor tasks French architects with a Noragyugh concept
Yerevan Municipality published that Mayor Avinyan met French architects, including Jean-Michel Wilmotte, and tasked them with studying the quarter's problems and development prospects and submitting conceptual proposals. No budget, timeline or financing source was stated.
Wilmotte presents Noragyugh and Cascade concepts in Paris
At a Paris meeting with Mayor Avinyan, Jean-Michel Wilmotte presented two potential projects for completing the Cascade complex and a project to renovate the Noragyugh quarter near the centre of Yerevan.
Transparency International says the draft General Plan is unfit for approval
Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center published its observations on the draft General Plan and its strategic environmental assessment, following a public hearing held at City Hall on 8 August 2024. It found inconsistent population data and concluded that the draft should be returned for revision.
Council of Elders adopts the new General Plan of Yerevan
The Yerevan Council of Elders approved the capital's new general plan by 32 votes to 13, with 2 abstentions. It is a GIS-based document prepared by Yerevan Project CJSC. Among its provisions, the Hrazdan gorge was given the status of a specially protected green zone with construction restrictions.
Government approves the Noragyugh programme and authorises expropriation
The Cabinet approved the Noragyugh redevelopment programme, recognised the area as overriding public interest and authorised the Mayor of Yerevan to sign acquisition contracts on behalf of the state with DITI Construction CJSC and DITI Development CJSC. Scope as presented: 83.9 hectares, 155 buildings, around 65,000 residents and roughly 2–2.5 million m², with owners compensated at market value plus 30%. The site is the Noragyugh quarter around Paskevich Hill, bounded by the Hrazdan gorge.
Ministry draft designates the DITI companies as project operator
A Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure draft describes the affected area as the Noragyugh quarter of Kentron at the Isakov and Monte Melkonyan avenue junction and Paskevich Hill, and designates DITI Construction and DITI Development as acquirer of property and project operator. This is a draft, not an adopted act.
Project presented to UAE investors — no agreement signed
Mayor Avinyan presented the Noragyugh project to Ahmed Al Shamsi, Group CEO of Trojan Construction Holding, and Eduard Sukiasyan, founder of Silk Capital. The Promenade complex and Dalma Gardens projects were also discussed. No agreement was signed.
What to watch next — not confirmed
- A signed investment agreement and a named financier.
- Publication of the techno-economic justification, which the municipality has said is still being developed.
- The actual start of property acquisition under the January 2026 authorisation.
- Any architectural competition or approved masterplan for the site.
- How the scheme is reconciled with the specially protected green-zone status the 2024 General Plan gave the Hrazdan gorge.
This page records infrastructure facts, not a price forecast. Infrastructure projects can be delayed, resized or cancelled, and a confirmed milestone is not a guarantee that prices in a district will rise.