Compaction at the Kabaty metro station. The WWAA project will transform the Tesco area into an urban quarter

City Council Warsaw approved the construction of a new housing estate and P+R parking lot in Kabaty in the place of the former Tesco. The WWAA studio’s design assumes 410 apartments, ground floor services, an underground garage and public greenery and public space, redefining the way of developing one of the largest plots in southern Ursynów.

From a surface parking lot to an urban structure
Urban strategy: fragmentation and service ground floors
P+R parking and infrastructure obligations
Environmental parameters and adjustments after consultations
Kabaty as a test for Warsaw urban planning

After years of discussions about the future of the plot of the former hypermarket at al. KEN in Kabaty made a decision that may become one of the most important examples of the transformation of the post-war commercial fabric into an urban structure. February 12, 2026 City Council Warsaw approved the implementation of the investment under the lex developer mode. The project prepared by the WWAA studio for Archicom, a company owned by Echo Investment, assumes the construction of nine residential buildings with 410 apartments, service spaces, an underground parking lot and a public component in the form of a square, greenery and a P+R parking lot.

This is not just another residential investment, but an example of a conscious attempt to transform a monofunctional “big box” area into a multifunctional urban quarter.

From a surface parking lot to an urban structure

The area of the former Tesco was built as a detached commercial facility surrounded by a large above-ground parking lot – a typical model for the developing outskirts of Warsaw in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Today, under the conditions of housing pressure and the changing role of shopping centers, such plots are becoming a natural field for the intensification of development.

The location in the immediate vicinity of the Kabaty metro station is of key importance. Contemporary urban planning policy is increasingly based on the density of areas well served by public transport (TOD model – Transit Oriented Development), instead of further spreading of the city to the outskirts. The WWAA project fits into this strategy.

Urban strategy: fragmentation and service ground floors

The concept assumes a departure from one dominant shape in favor of nine smaller buildings. The fragmentation of the scale is intended to make it possible to better fit the new development into the context of Kabaty, combining intimate housing estates with larger service facilities.

The most important investment parameters:

410 apartments in nine buildings,
service and commercial functions on the ground floors of six buildings,
additional service premises on level -1,
complete transfer of car traffic to the underground garage,
public square and publicly accessible semi-public spaces.

Architects – Natalia Paszkowska, Marcin Mostafa and Krzysztof Mazanek from WWAA emphasize that eliminating road traffic from the area will give the space a clearly pedestrian and bicycle character and improve the comfort of access to the metro and the Kabacki Forest.

P+R parking and infrastructure obligations

An important element of the project is the public component. The investor will provide the city with:

450 m² of commercial premises,
145 parking spaces in the “Park & Ride” formula.

The P+R parking lot is intended to act as a buffer for traffic coming from outside the district and to support the metro-based transfer system. Additionally, the developer is participating in the modernization of the road system, including the reconstruction of Iwanowa-Szajnowicza Street into the woonerf formula – a shared street with priority for pedestrians and cyclists.

This is an example of a model in which private investment generates specific infrastructure benefits of local and supra-local importance.

Environmental parameters and adjustments after consultations

As a result of public consultations, the project has undergone significant changes. The dominant was lowered to 10 storeys and the number of trees increased to 280 new plantings.

The assumed environmental indicators include:

30% of the plot area as biologically active area,
nearly 15% of greenery on native soil,
solutions improving rainwater retention and microclimate.

In the context of intensive development at the metro junction, these parameters are relatively ambitious, although their real value will depend on the quality of workmanship and maintenance of the space.

Kabaty as a test for Warsaw urban planning

The case of Kabat is part of a broader debate about the directions of development of the capital: should the city continue to expand to the peripheries or expand into well-connected areas?

The WWAA project is an attempt to reconcile the quiet, green character of the district with the pressure of intensifying development in the vicinity of the metro. This is an example of urban planning in which the number of apartments is not the only evaluation parameter – integration with public transport, availability of services and the quality of semi-public spaces are equally important.

The former Tesco area is no longer an empty spot in the structure of Ursynów. It becomes a test of whether Warsaw can build more densely without losing the quality of life.