The town of Choceň in the Orlickoústecko Region will build three cooperative apartment buildings with 42 flats. The cooperative housing will be cheaper for buyers, as the town has prepared land for construction, according to Mayor Jan Pažin (Živá Choceň).
“We have a long-term plan for housing construction. We were deciding whether to leave it to a developer, but in the end we preferred cooperative housing. We want to have control over the construction so that the apartments will be available to people who live in Chocň and are interested in affordable housing,” Pažin said.
The cooperative construction will take place in the Vostelčice locality, which is in the northwestern part of Chocno. The city has already been preparing plots for single-family homes there. There is space for the construction of three apartment buildings in Muchova Street. The study proposes 14 flats in each of them. “The land is fully owned by the city. Connections to utility networks are ready,” said deputy mayor Jan Ropek (Živá Choceň) at a recent public presentation.
At current prices, one apartment building would cost CZK 60 million, while three would cost CZK 180 million. On average, an interested party would buy an apartment for CZK 4.3 million, plus interest, as the cooperative will borrow from the bank for the construction. Deputy Mayor Ropek pointed out that the final prices may vary depending on the market situation.
People who want to join the municipal cooperative Bytstav will pay CZK 5,000 and later 20 to 30 percent of their share, and then they will pay the rest for 20 years. The city will not make any profits from the project. The city plans to start negotiating the interest rate with the bank next spring. “The flats will be very nice, we are emphasising the quality of housing, people will save 20 per cent at current prices and don’t need all the money to pay for the flat right away,” Pažin said.
According to the proposal, the apartment buildings will have five floors, the ground floor apartments will have a front garden, some apartments will have balconies on the upper floors, and the houses will offer large-size housing to those interested. The buildings will be brick, insulated, fitted with solar panels, and heated by ground-source heat pumps with the addition of gas boilers.
The city expects to have a building permit by next spring and construction could begin in the fall. The three apartment buildings should be completed by the end of 2025, with the co-ops then moving in the spring of 2026.
The town hall will adjust who can apply for the apartments, apparently permanent residence in Chocni will be a condition, and consideration will be given to how many other properties the applicant has, how many children they have, and how old they are. The council will decide on the rules. The city is not only targeting young people and families with children, but buyers may also include seniors who want to move to a smaller apartment, Ropek said.
Source: CTK
