Five applicants entered the competition for the development of Karolina

Ostrava - A total of five interested parties have applied for the development competition for the construction of a lucrative area in the center of Ostrava, the former Karolina coke plant, which had to submit their projects to the city by today. The winner of the development competition is expected to be known by mid-year. Already on Tuesday, the public will also be able to view the proposals from the companies, as the city will exhibit them in the New Town Hall, said Marie Václavková from the information and public relations department today according to ČTK.
The projects submitted include those from Sekyra Group, a consortium of Orco Property Group and TriGránit Czech Republic, Multi Development, a consortium of ECE Projektmanagement Praha and Passerinvest Group, and ING Real Estate Development.
"The exhibition of proposals will last until the end of June, until the competition is evaluated. It will also include a survey in which visitors will have the opportunity to vote on which of the exhibited projects for the use of Karolina they would choose for realization," Václavková specified. She added that according to the schedule, the competition is expected to be concluded at the city council meeting on June 28.
Karolina has long been the subject of a dispute between the city and a group of Polish architects who won an international architectural competition years ago. However, the city ultimately decided not to follow their proposal and announced a development competition. The Czech Chamber of Architects labeled this competition as irregular. Due to the entire case, the city’s chief architect, Jaroslav Sedlecký, is facing disciplinary action before the chamber's professional court, and the chamber is considering his expulsion. Sedlecký has also been accused of forgery and altering a public document, namely the zoning plan, and cannot perform his duties until the case is resolved.
The first companies to present their proposal for the development of the area to journalists today were ECE Projektmanagement Praha and Passerinvest Group, which decided to enter the competition jointly. Their project anticipates that the Karolina area would be gradually developed until 2019, with a total investment estimated at around 12.5 billion Czech crowns. The first phase, which could be completed in 2009, estimates an investment between four and six billion crowns.
The project includes not only a shopping gallery but also office spaces and residential areas. There is also a reserved place for a university campus, which Ostrava University is pursuing. A tower-shaped high-rise administrative building is expected to be the dominant feature, while other buildings are intended to harmonize in height with the surrounding structures. The project also includes a lookout tower.
Another applicant, Multi Development, states in a press release that the aim of its proposal is to expand the boundaries of today's historical city center. "Various forms of commerce, a high proportion of housing, services and administration, cultural and educational institutions, recreational, sports, and entertainment activities - all these considered types of buildings will ensure the area's attractiveness, bring diversity to it, and create a vibrant urban life," said Karolina project spokesperson Jan Sotona. Additionally, the company proactively purchased the last building that remained in the Karolina area - the Dvojhalí building.