300 'Dubai' microflats planned in Catarroja

Quique Escrivá, a Valencian entrepreneur tied to PSI Levante, said this month he plans to build 300 micro-apartments in Catarroja, a municipality south of Valencia, with prices starting at €99,000. Spanish media reports described the homes as 30- to 40-square-meter units marketed with a “Dubai-style” concept and shared amenities including a pool, solarium, gym and coworking space. RTVE said on May 18 that the scheme would be built on a plot with the old foundations of a building that was never finished. Levante-EMV and other outlets said the plan has drawn attention because of both the price point and the small size of the units. ### Who is behind the Catarroja project? Quique Escrivá was identified by Levante-EMV as the businessman promoting the Catarroja development, and SpainTLDR described him as CEO of PSI Levante. A profile page for Crea Tu Patrimonio Inmobiliario identifies Escrivá as founder of PSI Levante and says he is also a co-founder of that training business. (levante-emv.com) PSI Levante’s website is live, though the landing page available through search results did not show project details in the fetched text. Secondary reports linked the Catarroja scheme directly to the company and to Escrivá’s social media announcements. ### What exactly is being offered for €99,000? Levante-EMV reported that the development would include 300 homes of between 30 and 40 square meters in Catarroja, starting at €99,000. (levante-emv.com) SpainTLDR said the quoted starting price does not include an additional €20,000 for a garage and storage space. (psilevante.com) The amenities are central to the sales pitch. SpainTLDR said the project would include a swimming pool, a 200-square-meter gym, a solarium, common areas and coworking space, while RTVE referred to the homes as “pisos ‘Dubái’” and said they would sell from a minimum of €99,000. ### Why are they being called “Dubai” flats? Escrivá said the concept was modeled on “vivir como un hotel,” according to reports reproduced by Spanish outlets and aggregators quoting his public statements. (levante-emv.com) Those reports said he compared the idea to residential formats he had seen in Dubai and Paraguay, with small private units offset by larger shared spaces. (spaintldr.com) Levante-EMV’s headline and RTVE’s segment both used the “Dubái” label, showing that the branding has become the shorthand for the project in Spanish coverage. Neither report described the homes as being in Dubai; both referred to a Catarroja development marketed with that concept. ### Why has the plan drawn criticism locally? (forocoches.com) RTVE reported in a separate item that neighbors questioned the proposal after years of neglect on the more than 4,000-square-meter plot and after flood-related mud left the site in poor condition. The broadcaster said residents voiced skepticism and concern about the condition of the parcel and the credibility of the promotion. (levante-emv.com) The criticism in broader coverage has focused on the size of the apartments and on whether a “luxury” framing fits homes of roughly 30 square meters. Supporters, as described in secondary reports, say the units could open a lower-entry path to ownership for younger buyers shut out of larger new-build homes around Valencia. ### How does the pricing compare with Catarroja listings now? (stories.rtve.es) Property portals showed Catarroja resale listings starting around €89,000 on May 24, while many larger apartments were listed well above the project’s €99,000 entry price. Those listings are not like-for-like comparisons with new-build micro-units and shared amenities, but they show the development entering a market where conventional flats are already available in a similar headline range. (spaintldr.com) The next public markers are likely to be formal marketing materials, planning details and any municipal processing tied to the Catarroja site. As of May 24, the project was being described in media reports through Escrivá’s announcement, RTVE coverage on May 18 and Levante-EMV’s report published on May 16. (rtve.es) (idealista.com)