The representatives rejected the referendum on the construction of a giant building in Plzeň

Plzeň - Today, Plzeň city councilors rejected a local referendum on the construction of a giant shopping center near the center of Plzeň. They fear financial claims from investors and landowners, as activists want to prevent the construction. According to some lawyers, the city could potentially owe them billions of crowns. Thus, the referendum will not take place alongside the regional elections, which are scheduled for October 12 and 13. Activists will likely file an administrative lawsuit with the regional court on Tuesday, which can order the city to hold the plebiscite. Councilors would not be able to overturn this ruling, said Martin Marek, a representative of civic associations that collected nearly 20,000 signatures for the referendum. This is significantly more than the required ten percent of voters in Plzeň.
    Activists who want to prevent the construction of the CORSO Americká shopping center for 2.5 billion crowns proposed two questions. The first is general - whether the city of Plzeň should immediately take all steps to prevent the construction of the building by the Czech company Amádeus. The second concerns changing the zoning plan of a ten-hectare area between Radbuza, Americká street, and Sirkova street from mixed-use to city greenery. The second question was disputed according to some lawyers, but today the councilors also rejected the plebiscite on the first question. During their meeting, there were often voices that 11 landowners would claim compensation amounting to billions of crowns. According to activists and other councilors, it is uncertain whether they would obtain it.
    For conducting a referendum on both questions, 17 out of 41 present councilors were in favor, mainly from TOP 09, Občané.cz, and some from ČSSD. For a public vote solely on the first question, there were 14 in favor, mainly from ODS.
    "For the first question, there was no legal reason not to announce the referendum," Marek said. Activists will file a lawsuit by Tuesday at the latest. The court will decide within 30 days on announcing a public vote on both questions. "It is possible that the court will find the second question unvoteable, but it will evaluate each question separately, just as the councilors should have done," he stated. The court will also set the date for the plebiscite, likely during the January presidential elections. According to Marek, today's step by the councilors allows the investor to gain more time to prepare for construction. The position of the ČSSD was particularly incredible, as they have a referendum in their program, yet their councilors voted against the proposal requested by the citizens, he added.
    "I am disappointed with the council's decision. I presented a clear proposal, supported by the opinion of a member of the government legislative council, to announce a referendum on the first question, which is undeniably voteable," said Mayor Martin Baxa (ODS). He is awaiting the court's verdict, but he thinks it's a shame that there will be no vote during the regional elections. According to Marek, that would have ensured legal participation of at least 35 percent of voters.
    "Today's decision is responsible; the council assessed all parameters of the questions and whether they want to burden the city for many years to come," stated investor representative Jan Petřík. Amádeus, which submitted an application for a zoning decision in mid-August, will modify the project by mid-October to meet the city's requirements. According to Petřík, Amádeus is still a Czech company, but a "foreign co-investor, who will finance it" has entered the Corso Americká project.