Kosice Unveils Locations for Rental Apartments, Fico Praises Cooperation (2)

Kosice/Bratislava, April 14 (TASR) - The city of Kosice has presented four locations where the first 720 state-supported rental apartments are expected to be built, on Jesenskeho, Thurzova, Clementisova, and Popradska Streets, with Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) reiterating after his working meeting on Monday that the municipality is well prepared for the project. Fico praised the related cooperation between the Slovak government and the city. A total of 133 apartments will be built on Jesenskeho, 353 on Popradska, 38 on Thurzova, and 197 on Clementisova. The total investment is estimated at around €122.5 million. "These are not bare-bones units, but fully equipped flats with parking and everything that comes with it," explained mayor Jaroslav Polacek. Construction is planned to start this year and be completed in 2027. According to the prime minister, the cooperation between the city and the government has proven to be highly effective. "Let this be a model example of how cooperation can work and what can be achieved. What I saw here today was very satisfying," said Fico. He noted that all parties have met the commitments they set during their joint meeting in January. From the government's side, he mentioned the amendment to rental housing legislation and the option for pension-fund management companies to invest in such projects. The city also praised the new construction law. The prime minister added that on Monday they identified other matters that will be addressed via a government resolution in the coming days. "I'll give specific tasks to ministers to ensure this gets finalised. We're no longer in the theoretical phase but are making concrete decisions," he stated. Approximately 5,400 state-supported rental apartments are expected to be built in Kosice over the next ten years in partnership with the city of Kosice and an Austrian investor. The first phase of the project includes 1,700 apartments, with the initial stage accounting for the 720 flats mentioned. Additional apartments are planned for church-owned land in the Valaliky area, near the new Volvo car plant. mf/df