The representatives of Pardubice approved a plan for the construction of a parking garage

Pardubice - The representatives of Pardubice today approved a plan for the construction of a parking garage on U Stadionu street, in the vicinity of both the winter and summer stadiums. It will have 375 parking spaces, which are currently lacking. Some opposition representatives from ODS or the Pirates criticized the project as uneconomical, also pointing out that it does not consider the parking needs of residents living nearby.

According to the rationale document, 60 percent of the spaces in the parking garage will be for subscribers, and these should be rented out based on the car's registration plate for 15,000 CZK per year. The remaining spaces would be reserved for visitors to the city. Deputy Mayor Jan Hrabal (ANO) stated that the city leadership will address the issue of parking for residents in the future.

Critics also mentioned that the parking garage would further increase traffic in the city center. They also pointed out that the majority owner of the hockey club HC Dynamo Pardubice, Petr Dědek, plans to build a multifunctional hall in another location in the future, which would worsen the economics of operating the parking garage. During cultural and sporting events at the arena, the fund would also occupy 60 spaces, meaning all the spaces in the parking garage would be unavailable.

The project is to be built by the city company Rozvojový fond Pardubice, and the state will contribute up to 340 million CZK excluding VAT. The company does not have enough money for the construction. Therefore, the city will invest 50 million CZK into the company this year and next year through an increase in equity capital, and the company will also open a loan with a limit of up to 190 million CZK and a maximum repayment period of 15 years, guaranteed by Pardubice. The fund expects about 40 million CZK from the sale of two houses on Kostelní street, which contain apartments. According to Deputy Mayor Jakub Rychtecký (Žijeme Pardubice/ČSSD), construction is expected to be completed in early 2025.

In addition to parking spaces, the building will also include a gym and a playground on the roof, and part of the space will serve as storage for the arena, which will increase the construction costs. However, the parking garage is a condition for the operation of the neighboring football stadium, and the expansion of sports facilities is also included in the commitment from the shareholder agreement of HC Dynamo Pardubice.