Ostrava will sell land in the center to private investors

Ostrava - Ostrava will sell more lucrative plots in the city center to private investors. Within six months, it plans to sell the corner of Českobratrská and Nádražní streets, where a building with shops, restaurants, and offices is expected to be built. The city council also wants to sell one third of the Černá louka exhibition area, where a new urban block will be developed. Nearly 22 hectares in Hošťálkovice are also for sale, where a private company is expected to build family homes, said Mayor Petr Kajnar (ČSSD) to ČTK.
The plots between Českobratrská and Nádražní streets, where the Artforum second-hand bookstore used to stand, have attracted interest from seven investors so far - for example, the Kravaře company Buly, the Ostrava firm MP Invest, or the Prague company ABC Českého hospodářství. "The ground floor of the new building should be a lively commercial space that will communicate with the street through glass displays. There should be passages created to protect people from bad weather. On the upper floors, there will be shops, restaurants, offices, and accommodations. No casinos, gaming rooms, or sex shops," specified the mayor.
The plot being sold is located in a city conservation area, so the city will have a regulatory plan developed that will determine, for example, the maximum height of the building. "We will ensure that nothing will be built there that is not intended for that area," added Kajnar.
The sale of one third of Černá louka will be decided by the Ostrava city council in March; the councilors have already agreed to the sale plan. "A new urban block can be built on Černá louka. A park will run through the center of the area, connecting the footbridge across the Ostravice River and linking the central Masaryk Square with the Silesian-Ostrava Castle," said Kajnar to ČTK. According to him, two development companies - Orco and HB Reavis Group - want to buy the plots. The city would gain tens of millions of crowns from their sale.
"Both investors want to buy and demolish the existing parking garage and restructure the area - for example, to build residential buildings along the waterfront and then administrative and commercial buildings in the area. The market is also likely to be demolished," hinted the mayor. Thus, a city district would arise in the center of Ostrava, which would be similar in use to the future Nová Karolina. "Some 'overheating' is possible; on the other hand, more and more investors are interested in the region. Ostrava has a chance to withstand the investment boom - up to 20,000 people graduate from secondary schools here each year, who would find work specifically in offices," he added.
A new district in Ostrava is planned to be developed in Hošťálkovice, where the city is selling nearly 22 hectares. Instead of an unkempt fruit orchard, family homes are most likely to be built, which six out of seven investors want to construct - for example, the company Lifestyle Developments offers the construction of 165 Canadian wooden houses, while the firm Žižka&Partners proposes family and terraced houses. Santim Czech is the only one planning to build a sports and recreation complex at the edge of Hošťálkovice.
The Ostrava city hall has also offered private investors five hectares in the Science and Technology Park in Pustkovec. "We want private capital to enter science and research as well. There is no need to spend public money on the development and construction of the park," said Kajnar. According to him, the city wants to sell a total of approximately ten lucrative locations, for which it has been negotiating for at least a year. "We are gradually finalizing the conditions under which we want to sell, for example, the plots on Kostelní náměstí or the so-called skeleton next to the regional office," said Kajnar to ČTK.