Plzeň will lease land for the Corso building on Americká třída

Plzeň - The Plzeň city council approved today, despite opposition from civic activists, the lease of city land to the company Amádeus Plzeň, which plans to construct a massive multifunctional center on the site of the demolished cultural house on Americká Street. The city land represents only a small portion of the future center’s area, with the vast majority belonging to the investor. The city is set to initially lease the land to the company and sell it after the building's occupancy permit is granted. A condition is that the investor meets all regulatory conditions set by the city, said deputy mayor Petr Rund (ODS) to reporters today.
Activists opposed to the lease and subsequent sale of the land are attempting to prevent the construction of the center. They want to achieve a referendum in which people could express their views on the building project. Activists have already gathered over 10,000 signatures against the building, which will include shops, offices, apartments, and cultural and recreational spaces, and is expected to cost 2.5 billion CZK. "If the city does not sell this land to Amádeus, it will not be able to build the shopping center in downtown Plzeň. Members of the referendum preparatory committee are therefore calling on the large coalition of ODS and ČSSD not to sell the land around the former cultural house," said Martin Marek from the referendum preparatory committee this week. Critics of the construction want the area to remain free for a park to be created there.
According to Rund, however, it is not true that the investor cannot build the structure without the city land. "The investor continues to fulfill those regulatory conditions; he still has to provide visuals from Bohemka (a local name for a tall building) of the area in question and how the future building is divided into individual parts," Rund explained. A working group established by the city will assess whether the investor has met the regulatory conditions. If they determine that the conditions are met, the city council will decide on the lease of the land in the June session. As long as the conditions in the documentation are not fulfilled, the council will not address the lease of the land, stated councilor Helena Matoušová (ODS).
The Amádeus company is interested in city land covering over 2,100 square meters, which will help align the street line. It is expected to pay the city 55 crowns per square meter per year. Once the building is completed, the city should subsequently sell the land to the investor. The lease period is set until the sale, but no later than March 31, 2019.