Underground garages in Zelny trh in Brno without a referendum

Brno - Due to the planned construction of underground garages at Zelný trh in Brno, the referendum will not take place. The Greens proposed the item at today's city council meeting, but the councilors did not allow it to be discussed or included in the agenda. Only councilors from the Brno 2006 movement and a few communists voted for its inclusion alongside the proposing party. On the other hand, communist Pavel Březa called the proposal unfortunate.
    According to Březa, a local referendum is a means that should be used when local government is unable to resolve a matter. "Giving this to citizens just because we don't enjoy deciding is unfortunate," he stated.
    A private investor wants to build underground parking at Zelný trh. According to critics who spoke at the city council meeting with a written statement today, it will irreparably damage the character of the historic square. People from the initiative "I Disagree with the Creation of Garages at Zelný trh" spoke today about how cars would access the garages via a circular ramp, which is supposed to have a diameter of 17 meters. This is reportedly rejected by many renowned architects.
    Activists calculated that 11,000 cubic meters of earth would have to be excavated for the construction. If it were transported by trucks with a capacity of seven tons, which are said to be the heaviest vehicles allowed in the center, 2800 trucks would have to leave via Květinářská, Masarykova, and Nádražní streets. If they were to operate every 20 minutes during working days and hours, it would take 112 days, or 23 weeks, to remove the soil.
    The company Magnum Real Estate and the owners of the newly established hotel Classis, which is to have the entrance to the garages in its immediate vicinity, want to build the underground parking in the square. The total investment for 58 parking spaces, of which 33 are intended for the public, is expected to exceed 60 million korunas. The investor has rejected the critics' objections from the start.
    According to Jaroslav Dokoupil, the managing director of Arch.Design, the company designing the construction, underground garages have already been built in several historic cities. Among others, he mentioned Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, and Salzburg. "The question is whether we want to have life in the historical core of the city or whether we want to turn it into a preserved open-air museum," Dokoupil said. According to him, after years of serving primarily for work and commercial opportunities, permanent residence should return to the center of Brno. The existence of parking spaces, which are lacking in Brno, is a condition for this step.
    On the contrary, Matěj Hollan today spoke on behalf of the opponents of the garages about how other cities are eliminating car traffic from city centers. Brno is doing the opposite, he said.