In the center of Liberec, a multifunctional building with more than 200 apartments will be built

Liberec - A private investor plans to build a multifunctional building with more than 200 apartments, offices, and shops on long-unused plots near the center of Liberec. The new building will rise along 1. máje Avenue, which leads to the Liberec railway station, and should complete the street front. Construction is expected to begin in 2015, and the extensive complex, covering more than 4,000 square meters, should be completed within two years. CTK found this out today from the EIA Information System.
     Development in this area has been discussed for almost 20 years, since the last original houses along the street were demolished. In the past, it was difficult to find an investor. In 2009, the Liberec city council issued consent for the construction of a multifunctional building on these plots to the Prague company EUBE, but the plans were thwarted by the economic crisis, and today the company is in bankruptcy.
     The plots were acquired by May development, which intends to build a complex of four buildings between 1. máje Street and Tatranská Street. The main building should serve as a vertical counterbalance to the Financial Office and the Imperial Hotel on the opposite side of the street. Behind the eight-story building, three smaller buildings, no higher than six stories, will be hidden from street view. The investor wants to offer clients 213 apartments and will provide 187 parking and garage spaces.
     The building will rise on long-unoccupied land, currently occupied only by row garages, rubble, and an asphalt parking area. The construction will sacrifice most of the greenery, mostly consisting of invasive trees. Two mighty oaks will remain preserved, and the investor intends to incorporate them into the project. The complex is expected to offer around 50 new jobs in shops and establishments, with an additional 140 job opportunities in local offices.
     The planned construction of the multifunctional building is one of the few similar projects in the city of 100,000 residents of Liberec. Due to the economic crisis, construction in the city has significantly slowed down in recent years, which is not just a problem for Liberec but for the entire region. According to information from the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), two dozen construction companies in the region executed contracts worth only 2.439 billion crowns from January to September last year, which is a decline of nearly 46 percent compared to 2011. In 2008, the volume of construction production during the same period exceeded six billion.