End of shopping center plans

“Kampcenter” in the town center now falls through

Gstetten in the center instead of a shopping center: The site has been overgrown for years.(Bild: Stadt Zwettl)

A huge site in the middle of Zwettl is for sale for 2.5 million euros. The plans for the shopping center, which was called the "Kampcenter" during the planning phase, are a thing of the past. The land once cost significantly less, but the new zoning has significantly increased the value of the site. The aim now is to find out what makes sense on the site.

For the ÖVP in Zwettl, the issue of the "Hahn-Areal" next to the cinema and parking garage near the town center could not have come at a worse time than just before the municipal council elections. After shopping center operator Reinhold Frasl bought the site, which is zoned "grassland nursery", for around 900,000 euros back in 2008, a veritable steppe landscape developed next to the historic town wall.

Huge thorn, powerful critics. .
The wasteland in the heart of Zwettl is like a huge thorn in the side of the otherwise fit people of the Waldviertel, because over the years, the town leadership had really gone to great lengths for the shopping center project in order to bring more life back into the town center with this idea. Powerful critics, such as Christof Kastner from the trade group of the same name, came out against the "Kampcenter", as it was called during the planning process. Nevertheless, the zoning was changed to "core building land for retail facilities" in 2017.

Attacking: Silvia Moser from the Green Party doesn't like the deal.(Bild: CHRISTIAN DUSEK)

EKZ has always been a red rag for the Greens
The significant increase in the value of the property also drove the Zwettl Greens, led by Silvia Moser, to the palisades again and again and also led to a motion of no confidence in the former head of the town, Herbert Prinz.

Price almost tripled
After years of being sidelined and unavailable to the town, Frasl is now said to have approached the Zwettl real estate company, which was founded years ago by the local savings bank, Raiffeisenbank and the town to develop housing, with an offer to sell: The proud purchase price amounts to 2.5 million euros, almost three times the purchase price at the time.

Dispute in the local council
The municipal council passed an urgent motion against the Greens for a one-year purchase option agreement. "It's not about preventing Immo GmbH from buying the property. It is about clarifying beforehand whether there are any other legal options. The ÖVP and subsequently the municipal council have apparently already been taken in by real estate speculation," rages the Green Moser.

Mayor: "The issue is very important"
Mayor Franz Mold (ÖVP) counters: "I was surprised myself when Frasl suddenly got in touch and made the offer. Even if another time would be better, the issue must be addressed now and before the election because it is very important for Zwettl."

With the option agreement, the GmbH is now developing an economic feasibility study to determine which uses for the site - the city has the right of first refusal - make sense and are economically viable. They now have one year to do this.