Zlín wants to change the appearance of the Smurf City location, offering land for rent

Zlín - The leadership of the city of Zlín wants to change the appearance of the locality in the Jižní Svahy housing estate known as Smurf City. In small, rather outdated buildings, there are bars, pubs, and a café. The city council approved the intention to lease the land under the buildings. Owners of the properties and other interested parties can apply to the competition. There may be a reconstruction of the buildings or the construction of new building(s). Current operators, who are renting the land from the city, disagree with this and have formed the Smurf City Zlín association. "I see the competition as an unfair step," said the chairman of the association, Tomáš Pantlík, to the councilors today.

The operators of the businesses seek to maintain their operations. When the city announced plans to revitalize the locality last year, they opposed the termination of lease agreements and the demolition of buildings, created an association, and wrote a petition in their support. They proposed possible amendments to Smurf City, but did not reach an agreement with the city leadership, and the council announced the intention to lease land totaling about 5,600 square meters.

Mayor Jiří Korec (ANO) reminded that the city has the option to terminate lease agreements with a three-month notice period. "Instead, we wanted to meet with the owners," stated Korec. The city wanted the operators to vacate the locality if another interested party wins the competition. According to the mayor, the city also offered to restore the space to its original condition. No agreement was reached, and the council announced the intention to lease the locality. "Current owners can apply just like others; it’s maximally open," stated Korec. If another interested party wins instead of the current tenants, they will receive termination notices from their contracts.

Pantlík reiterated today at the council meeting that the association is interested in revitalizing the locality in cooperation with the city. "Everyone who operates in the locality has invested a lot of time and money. It is true that the locality deserves renovation, but the city has collected about 15 million crowns in rent and has not contributed a single koruna to the locality, and now it wonders how it looks," stated Pantlík.

"I perceive the investor competition as an unfair step that does not respect the existing owners who want to invest their own resources and time into their properties, in coordination with the city. Unfortunately, the investor competition has seemed from the beginning like something prepared for a pre-selected individual," mentioned Pantlík.

Deputy Mayor Pavel Brada (ANO) noted that Smurf City was leased from 1993 to 2003. "All entities that entered knew that it was for a period of ten years, and they are now three times that. However, the current state is definitely not a showcase of the city," stated Brada.

Regarding the content of the building or buildings in a new form, the possibilities are, according to Korec, very open. There must be no casino or erotic services. Smaller establishments selling goods and services for the widest possible range of residents will be preferred. The city will conclude a lease agreement for the land and construction rights for 20 years with the selected interested party. Applications can be submitted until May 10. The order of applications will be determined by a selection committee appointed by the city council, and the councilors will decide on the selection of the offer. The city councilors did not make any decisions today; they acknowledged a petition with over a thousand signatures.