Plzeň has proposals for the development of the area where a commercial complex was supposed to stand

Plzeň - Plzeň now has proposals for the design of the development area where the developer Amádeus Real wanted to build a commercial complex for 2.5 billion CZK. Last January, it was rejected by a referendum, and the city hall must thus prevent construction on the site of the demolished cultural center. One of the steps was an architectural and urban planning competition. The investor announced in January this year that he was ending the project. The jury awarded three proposals and recommended paying special attention to the preparation of the area study, including its discussion, said Irena Králová from the city’s concept and development department, to ČTK.
    The competition was announced for a broader area than the 2.4 hectares planned for the construction of the shopping center. It concerns a prominent area between the historic center and the train station, namely between the streets Americká - Nádražní - intersection U Jána - Denisovo nábřeží.
    The debatable area after the cultural center is addressed by the proposers with smaller and more articulated buildings than the center Corso Americká was to have. "The structure is more in line with its location in the city center. It is certainly a smaller scale and mainly multifunctional use for commerce, services, administration, and housing," she said. Additionally, large public spaces have been proposed, which were a condition for the proposers. "They are addressing it very generously with a share of green space, something like a green promenade," she added.
    The area study will be processed by the concept department based on the winning proposals. It should be completed by the end of the year. "The jury issued recommendations for the preparation of the study and established basic urban planning principles," Králová stated. Work on the study will begin immediately after the results of the competition are approved by the June municipal council. The proposals resulting from the competition and recommended by the jury will already be incorporated into the new urban plan for Plzeň, which the city will have from 2016. The study will mainly define the structure of public spaces, the character of the buildings, and the heights of the structures.
    Of the 11 competition proposals, the jury awarded three. No first prize was awarded, and two proposals received second prize. "Unfortunately, the quality of the competition proposals does not reach such a level that one could be recommended as a starting basis for the study. However, they contained a number of ideas that the jury formulated into basic urban planning principles," said the head of the jury, Jaroslav Šafer. The second place is shared by proposals from architects outside of Plzeň, while the third was awarded to a Plzeň team. The public will get acquainted with the proposals from June 16 to 29.
    Amádeus disagreed with the competition, which reacted to the results of the local referendum, even last year before it was announced. In an official letter, he described it as "harassing conduct intended to cause damage to the company." Then, in January this year, he terminated the Corso Americká project "due to the uncertainty in the city’s approach and the constantly changing attitudes towards the investment, which resulted in the halting of the zoning process." The investor has invested hundreds of millions of crowns into the project, which he will be claiming from the city, along with a portion of lost profits and funds for the thwarted investment. The sale of the 2.4-hectare plot owned by Amádeus is still at stake. Plzeň has already selected a law firm to represent it in the expected legal dispute with the developer.
    According to Martin Zrzavecký (ČSSD), the economic deputy mayor tasked with negotiating with Amádeus, the city has been waiting for several months for the investor's next steps, which so far he has not responded to. The city hall has not reached an agreement with him on the sale of the land. "We are not aware of any lawsuit," he added.