The Israeli company Plaza wants to build an entertainment center in Havířov

Havířov - The Israeli company Plaza wants to build an entertainment and shopping center in Havířov. Today it held its first meeting with the city leadership. Mayor František Chobot (ČSSD) welcomed the project, but the city does not own the 10,000 square meters of land that the company needs for the construction. The plot next to the greenhouses at the former OKD Reclamation is under consideration. It is owned by the RPG company, which is interested in the investor's plans, said Havířov spokesman Ivan Trnka.
"As the owner of the land, RPG will continue to negotiate with the Israeli investor and aims to align its intentions with its own ideas for meaningful land use. The first meeting was therefore amicable," Trnka added. The statement from the landowner is being confirmed by ČTK.
According to the mayor, Havířov has limited options to attract investors for the construction of factories. "We do not have the option to build an industrial zone, so our goal should be to transform Havířov into a tourist and entertainment center that will connect with nearby reservoirs and mountains," said Chobot. He added that it is also necessary to consider neighboring Poland and Slovakia, from where people could come to the city for new entertainment.
Plaza Centers intends to build a center in Opava as well. "A contract has been signed with the city for the lease of land in the center, where the new facility, with a total rental area of approximately 14,000 m2 in 70 units, should be built," said the company's spokesperson, Pavla Drmotová.
Plaza Centers will complete the shopping and entertainment center in Plzeň this October, and the next project is Liberec Plaza in the pedestrian zone, which will be finished in 2008. The Israeli company has completed 24 complex projects in Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Romania, Greece, and the Czech Republic, with 500,000 m2 of rental space. It plans a more extensive expansion within five years, aiming to build up to 50 centers.
"We learned that the company's philosophy is to build entertainment centers in cities with over 50,000 inhabitants, so Havířov is attractive to them in connection with the Ostrava agglomeration and densely populated Karviná," Trnka said.
He added that if the project is realized, the city might not need to spend a lot of money to renovate the Cinema Centrum, which is in poor condition. "We could then convert it into a central library, for example," the spokesman noted.