Praha 13 signed an agreement on a high-rise building, the opposition criticizes it

Prague – Prague 13 has signed a memorandum with the development company Trigema regarding the planned construction of Top Tower near the Nové Butovice metro station, which is set to become the tallest building in the Czech Republic. The agreement was approved by the city council, and its approach was criticized by the opposition council group of the Greens and Pirates. According to the memorandum, the city district will support the construction, in exchange for which the investor will ensure, for example, the revitalization of the area surrounding the building or contribute 30 million CZK to the municipality.

Top Tower is to connect to nearly a kilometer-long pedestrian zone that runs from the Nové Butovice metro station through the central Sun Square to the Hůrka metro station. The design of the 135-meter-high building involved sculptor David Černý and architect Tomáš Císař from the studio Black n' Arch. The actual 125-meter-high building is to be "backed" by a ten-meter-high structure resembling a shipwreck.

The now legally non-binding memorandum was signed by both parties at the beginning of October. The Trigema company has committed to invest approximately 36.5 million CZK into transforming the area around the building. The modifications will include revitalization and an increase in the capacity of the parking lot on Ovčí hájek street, adjustments to the pedestrian zones between the Nové Butovice metro station and the Lípa polyclinic, revitalization of the underpass under Bucharova street, and the construction of a new passage under Seydlerova street.

According to the memorandum, the investor is also to provide the city district with a contribution of 30 million CZK for the development of education or transport within two years of the issuance of the final building permit. The company will also prepare a project for a parking garage on the site of the current parking lot by Petržilková street, which the city will then build. A binding contract is to follow the memorandum within a year of the issuance of the zoning decision.

The city district pledged that, provided all obligations on the part of the investor are met, it will support the construction in the permitting processes. For example, an exemption from the zoning plan is needed for the construction, which is approved by the city council, and the city district gives its opinion on this. The municipality also contributes during the zoning and building procedures.

The opposition criticized the actions of the municipality's leadership, claiming that the impacts of the construction on the locality and local residents had not been adequately assessed. "We have repeatedly requested a statement from the city council leadership regarding this plan, but it has always been evasive, stating that nothing is known yet. Therefore, we are surprised by the approval of the memorandum of cooperation with the investor, and this hastily and in a state of emergency," stated councilors Václav Hrdlička (Pirates) and Zuzana Drhová (Greens) in a statement. They argued that the memorandum should have been discussed by the council and signed only when all information, including the evaluation of the zoning plan change, is known.

Mayor David Vodrážka (ODS) rejected the criticism, asserting that the agreement is advantageous for the city district. "The project was approved by the committee for urban development of the capital city, where one of the representatives of the Pirate Party also voted in favor. In our opinion, this is exemplary cooperation with the investor, which is certainly supported by the Pirate Party, as it had a significant influence on the memorandum between the investor and the city district, and we thank them for that," said the mayor.

Trigema presented the project last September, stating that construction could ideally start next year and would take three years. The building will be intended for rental housing, and Trigema plans offices and a multifunctional cultural center connected to a publicly accessible rooftop garden on the lower floors. At the highest point, there will be a publicly accessible lookout, while the ground floor and second above-ground floor will primarily feature shops and service establishments. The estimated cost of construction is to be two billion CZK.