Ostrava will build a parking lot under the planned university building

Ostrava - The City of Ostrava will build an underground parking garage with 160 parking spaces. It is to be located under the Center for Healthy Movement at the Černá louka exhibition grounds. The center is one of two new buildings that Ostrava University plans to construct there for more than a billion crowns. This was decided today by city councillors.

According to estimates, the underground parking is expected to cost at least 160 million crowns. About a quarter of the parking spaces could be reserved for Ostrava University. The city will negotiate the exact terms with the university. The remaining section would serve the public.

"The most debate revolved around the model, where we initially believed that the university would build it itself with a subsidy from the city. This option has many pitfalls, mainly tax-related, as the university would have to pay VAT on it, making it about 35 million crowns more expensive," said Mayor Tomáš Macura (ANO) to journalists. Thus, the underground parking will ultimately be constructed by the city itself and will transfer to the university's ownership after 99 years.

"What is essential, however, is that the entire construction of the underground parking facility and the building above it will be tendered, designed, and built centrally by one contractor," Macura stated. Ideally, construction could start as soon as next year.

Opposition communists pointed out today that such support for the university is already too large. The city has already donated land for the construction of the buildings, and it will have to relocate a tram loop and the Miniuni miniature landmarks as a result. However, according to the mayor, the construction does not support the university, because parking is needed in the city center.

In addition to modern facilities for sports, the university also plans to build a building for the Faculty of Arts at the site. The complex will also enable the university to teach new fields. The university has secured funding from the Operational Program Research, Development, and Education as part of the Restart project, which aims to initiate changes in the Moravian-Silesian, Ústí, and Karlovy Vary regions. The sports facilities are expected to cost 645 million crowns, while the building for the Faculty of Arts will cost 357 million crowns.