Brno will buy land at Kamenný vrch for 3.5 million, wants to build apartments there

Brno – Brno will buy several plots of land on Kamenný vrch from private owners for 3.5 million crowns, planning to build cooperative housing there. The city already owns about 90 percent of the land in the area. After the purchase, only two plots will remain, and the city is negotiating with their owners, said Jiří Oliva (ČSSD), the mayor's deputy, to ČTK today. The first phase will create 350 apartments for 1.75 billion crowns. The completion is expected in 2025.

The purchase must be approved by the representatives. The city wants to buy land sized 825 m² at a usual price of 4,300 crowns per square meter, totaling 3.55 million crowns. The payment will come from the housing construction fund. "The plots in the given area are mostly owned by the city, about ten percent are privately owned or co-owned by the city and private individuals. These plots cut across the entire area in several stripes, and due to the realization of residential construction, it is necessary to purchase them, which has already been successful in several cases, and negotiations with other owners are ongoing,” said councilor for property Róbert Čuma (Pirates).

Construction in the Kamenný vrch II area above Petra Křivka Street in the Nový Lískovec district is divided into two phases. In the first phase, 350 apartments are estimated to be built for 1.75 billion crowns. The investment includes the necessary technical and transport infrastructure, including park improvements. "Atelier 99 is currently working on the documentation for the zoning process, which should be completed in the fall. We aim to bring the project to building permit next year, and in 2025 it should be completed,” Oliva stated. The city is negotiating with the district to pay for one of the apartment buildings from its own budget, which would remain city property and be entrusted to the district as a care home.

The city owns almost 30,000 apartments, which is about 15 percent of the total housing stock in Brno. The remainder is in private ownership. Cooperative housing involves the construction of apartments on city-owned land and the formation of a cooperative, in which the city would be the guarantor and people would join with a certain deposit. The cooperative would then take the mortgage. After paying off the mortgage, the city would exit the cooperative, and the apartments would transfer to the people. This way, the city aims to help those who cannot independently obtain a mortgage but still have an income.