Praha will buy the greyhound racetrack in Motol for 215.8 million CZK; there will be a stadium there

Prague - Prague will purchase the greyhound racetrack in Motokov for 215.8 million crowns, which will be transformed into an athletic stadium. The city council approved the buyout today. The racetrack is located on city-owned land, which is leased to the company CZECH INTERNATIONAL under a contract until 2035, with an option for an additional ten years. According to the legal assessment by the city hall, it is easier to come to an agreement with the company than to initiate legal proceedings for terminating the contract.

The company has leased about 28,000 square meters of land from the city since 2005 for a price of 30 crowns per square meter per year for built-up areas and five crowns for undeveloped areas. In 2013, the company opened the greyhound racetrack, which, according to information at the time, cost 350 million crowns to build, excluding interiors and facilities. The complex includes restaurants, and under the building, there is a parking lot with 190 parking spaces.

From 2009 to 2014, the city hall negotiated with the company about a potential buyout of the land, which did not occur. "The proposal is to terminate the lease agreement by mutual consent and purchase the buildings from the tenant," said city councilor for property Adam Zábranský (Pirates) today. Councilor for education and sports Antonín Klecanda (STAN) added that the costs for converting it into an athletic stadium will be about 50 million crowns, and work should begin later this year. Additional funds will then be needed for the renovation of facilities, restaurants, and similar amenities.

The stadium is intended to serve sports clubs from Prague 5 and also for organizing athletic competitions, for which the city currently lacks a suitable sports facility. Zábranský also recently told ČTK that the land near the racetrack could be leased to a private entity in the future, which would build a hotel there to accommodate race participants.

The city began negotiations for the purchase of the racetrack in the previous election period, planning to place a cycling center with a velodrome there, as planned by the National Sports Agency (NSA). However, this plan was abandoned when the leadership of Prague agreed with the NSA that the velodrome would be built in Brno.