Apartments yes, but they need to be regulated, says the mayor of Pec pod Sněžkou
Keeping working people in Pec pod Sněžkou, improving housing and transport, supporting tourism, and ensuring that money flows into infrastructure – these are the goals the new leadership of the Krkonoše resort will be working on.
„It's important not only to support local business owners, but also the people who work in services in Pec and want to live here. They need conditions that give them a reason to stay. That's why, for example, we're planning new municipal apartments and infrastructure investments. For twenty years, this town mainly dealt with apartments and commercial projects. We want to change that,“ said mayor Ilona Karlíková.
After the last municipal elections, the town's leadership changed in Pec. Longtime former mayor Alan Tomášek left office after twenty years. The new town hall still plans for apartment-building construction, but wants to regulate this activity more. „We will try to collect accommodation fees more effectively, and we will push to ensure apartment buildings are not built on hillsides, where they then place a burden on traffic,“ said Karlíková. The zoning plan envisages construction mainly along the main roads in the valleys.
For example, according to the mayor, construction of the Svatá Barbora apartment complex should begin next year in the center of Pec, below the dam and above Hotel Pecr Deep. This project was approved by the town's leadership back in the previous electoral term, she noted. The investor is entrepreneur Martin Kubík, who opened a similar apartment complex, Svatý Vavřinec, nearby in 2018. The Svatá Barbora complex is expected to have nearly 80 apartments, underground garages, a restaurant, a pool, and wellness facilities. Apartment construction is also spreading from the resort's center into the Velká Úpa district. This spring, construction of the Úpa Resort apartment building, which will have 27 apartments, is due to start in Velká Úpa, and according to the investor should be finished in December 2025. It will be built between the road and the Úpa river, next to Penzion Cortina. Another private investor is preparing, along the road in Velká Úpa opposite Penzion Relax, the construction of six connected apartment buildings with underground parking and services, shops, or a café on the ground floor. Several buildings on the right-hand side of the road toward Pec therefore face demolition. Hotel Hela and other buildings, including the Úpa pub, are due to be demolished. „We welcome new construction in this location, since it will create a coherent development including services. We expect demolition work could begin next year,“ said Karlíková.
According to her, interest in the summer season in Pec has been growing in recent years. For a traditionally winter resort, this is a challenge. The town hall wants to support projects that complement the resort's offering for summer recreation. One such project could be the planned congress and cultural center on the site of a building from the socialist era known as Klondike, next to the Svatý Vavřinec complex. The investor is expected to be Martin Kubík. „It could bring new clientele with different interests to the town,“ said the mayor. She stressed that the winter season remains essential for the resort. „Cooperation with the town's largest employer, Mega Plus, which operates the ski area, remains key for us,“ the mayor said. She named the traffic situation in the town center as one of the main challenges. „That's why we're preparing a traffic study covering the overall transport concept. Yes, the opening of the parking garage three years ago helped, but it's not enough. We're looking, for example, at questions of where we allow motorists to go, how we set up parking, and public transport,“ said Karlíková. The parking garage project in Velká Úpa has been put on hold, and the town hall is reassessing it to make it cheaper than the estimated CZK 300 million. According to the mayor, one condition for calming traffic in the resort is the establishment of town-subsidized public transport, which would offer motorists an alternative. In summer the town hall launched a pilot project of free bus transport for visitors. The bus ran between Velká Úpa and Pec, with a stop at the parking garage. As for infrastructure investment, the mayor mentioned the repair of one of the main roads in the center of the resort, on the section from the bridge over the Zelený potok stream up to the Javor ski slope. The repair is expected to cost more than ten million crowns, and builders should manage it next year. It will also include repairs to sidewalks and the winter ski trail. The town hall is also preparing construction of a wastewater treatment plant for the whole resort in Velká Úpa; this project is currently at the study stage. The treatment plant is currently located in the center of Pec, above the Velká Úpa district, which according to the mayor is unsustainable.