Brno councillors will again decide on Amazon

Mayor Onderka hopes that Amazon will come.

Brno - Brno city councilors will once again decide on the possibility of building an Amazon distribution center on the Černovická terrace on Tuesday. In April, they approved the sale of land to developer CTP Invest, and now they have an update on the zoning plan on their agenda, which the government has also endorsed by changing its decision from 2003. At that time, the government conditioned the transfer of state land to the city on the provision that no warehouses would be built on them. However, the Brno movement Nesehnutí points out that the approval of the zoning plan changes by the Brno council could be illegal.
    If the councilors approve this item, there should be nothing standing in the way of the construction of the logistics center for the American e-commerce company. However, Amazon stated before the April council meeting that it no longer considers Brno and is exploring various options in Central and Eastern Europe. Mayor Roman Onderka (ČSSD) hopes that Amazon will come if the conditions are created for it in Brno. The company would create 1,500 permanent jobs in Brno.
    Against this optimism, Minister of Industry Jan Mládek (ČSSD) expressed his concerns at the end of April, mentioning the investor's effort to have the support of the entire political spectrum in the city they come to. The sale of land passed by a single vote, and a divide among Brno politicians persists.
    Before Tuesday's vote, representatives of ČSSD, TOP 09, and KDU-ČSL stated that they would vote in favor. Conversely, ODS and the Greens are still against it. Representatives of KSČM have also voted against it so far. This state indicates that the update is likely to pass.
    The Nesehnutí movement, which has been active in Brno for two decades, argues that the approval of the update may be in conflict with the law according to legal assessments. They claim that the proposed change must be significant enough to override the principle of completeness that applies when drafting changes to the zoning plan. Meanwhile, the entire update of the zoning plan will be addressed at the council a month from now, so the municipality's procedure may be contrary to the efficiency of the process. Furthermore, the adoption of a new general measure must go through a proper process, including consultation with authorities or the public. So far, it has not been possible to obtain a statement regarding this procedure from Deputy Mayor Oliver Pospíšil (ČSSD), who has been involved with the project from the beginning, according to ČTK.
    Amazon promises an investment of 2.7 billion crowns and 1,500 jobs primarily for unskilled workers in Brno. In Dobrovíz near Prague, it has already succeeded with the same warehouse project.