The representatives of Dobrovíz gave the green light for the construction of a warehouse for Amazon

Dobrovíz (near Prague) - The representatives of Dobrovíz near Prague today approved a memorandum of cooperation and a contract with the developer who wants to build a distribution center for the American online store Amazon near the municipality. Four representatives were in favor, while the remaining three abstained from the vote. However, the investor's plans are currently facing a rejection from a local civic association that has appealed against the decision on the location of the building. Before the representatives' decision, there was an excited debate with the locals. Last year, people in Dobrovíz rejected the construction in a public vote, primarily fearing an increase in traffic.
    The contract with the developer reached its final form after prolonged negotiations, and the municipality's leadership presented it to the locals, about thirty of whom gathered in the cultural house hall. The Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mládek (ČSSD) also attended the meeting. At the end, the representatives proceeded to vote, accompanied by a nervous atmosphere. After the voting ended, a coffin-like silence prevailed in the hall. "This is undoubtedly progress, and I am glad that it happened even after an complicated discussion with the citizens. That is part of the process. I understand that they are concerned and certainly want guarantees," commented the outcome of the meeting Mládek. The representative from Amazon, Janka Rablová, also expressed a positive opinion. "I think we have been negotiating for so long and resolving the conditions that it would be a waste of effort if we didn't achieve this," she told ČTK.
    However, the locals do not see it so straightforwardly. "What will I have as a citizen? So far, I’ve sensed that I will get free sewage and a football field," asked one of the discussants. Another argued that the project would be better relocated to an area with higher unemployment. Mládek conceded that it could have been discussed with the investor to seek a better location. He stated that if the hall were 50 kilometers further away, everything would be easier now. "Unfortunately, now it’s 'take it or leave it'," noted the minister. He pointed out that the investor prefers the easiest location in an area with good transport infrastructure.
    Some people expressed concern about whether the developer would manage to build the bypass as promised in the contract, and whether this is realistic given the ownership of the land. Mládek reminded that failure to complete the construction on time would result in penalties. He also stated that the form of the contract had significantly improved for the people of Dobrovíz since last week. The same was claimed by a representative of CzechInvest. However, the locals were not too satisfied with their words. One participant in the discussion stated that the authorities and the developer probably consider the residents of Dobrovíz to be "a herd of fools."
    According to the developer's representative, Pavel Sovička, the construction of the bypass will cost 20 million, and land acquisitions will amount to 24 million crowns. However, the people in the hall felt that this was too little. "So you have a good company," remarked one of the women.
    Mayor Martin Šafr stated that the results of the vote entail certain obligations for the municipality. The most important is that they must withdraw their appeal against the change in the land-use decision. The development company Panattoni will then have no obstacle in applying for a building permit. In contrast, the association Citizens for Dobrovíz does not intend to do so. "Our position remains unchanged," said the representative of the association, Martin Dostalík.
    The construction of the hall in Dobrovíz and another one near Brno is set to begin as soon as possible. Each is to have an area of 95,000 square meters. It is expected to create jobs for at least 1,500 people, with even more during the pre-Christmas peak. The city representatives in Brno will decide on the construction of the hall on Friday.
    Amazon is the largest and one of the oldest online stores in the world. Jeff Bezos founded the company in 1994 and still leads it. Amazon began its online operations in July 1995 and currently employs 97,000 people.