Gmunden clears path for disputed Seeviertel development

Gmunden’s municipal council has cleared the way for the disputed Seeviertel hotel project, approving a change that raises the permitted share of second homes from 25 to 75 percent. The vote was backed by the FPÖ and ÖVP, ORF reported. The city is also set to receive about 2.3 million euros more from the sale.

The revised payment follows a new valuation of the land, which puts its worth at about 17 million euros, up from 15 million, Soravia Real Estate managing director Hans-Peter Weiss said. Work to market the project is due to begin this autumn, with construction planned for May or June next year.

The hotel is now planned to have 120 to 125 beds, compared with about 80 in the original plans. Weiss said it would be operated by the Marriott group. Plans for apartments to be bought and then rented to tourists have been dropped, while the ground-floor commercial space is to expand to about 700 square metres. Soravia says there is interest from health businesses, companies and the hospitality sector. A restaurant and a local bakery are among the proposals.

There has also been discussion about Oberbank moving its Esplanade branch into the Seeviertel, but project representatives said no decision had been made.

Soravia says its roughly 90 planned apartments, ranging from 50 to 150 square metres, are attracting strong interest. Prices have not been announced. The plans also include 30 to 40 boat garages. Weiss said he expected the eventual share of main residences to exceed the approved minimum of 25 percent, adding that interest was mainly coming from people in the region.

Two new major investors are expected to join the project, according to insiders, while Andreas Asamer of Alas Baustoff-Holding is said to be stepping back from a leading role. The new investors have not been named; they are described as a large Austrian construction company and a well-known business family.

Opposition to the project continues. The Greens warn that it could restrict public access to the lake, while the SPÖ, NEOS and WIA list oppose the change to the second-home quota, arguing that investors would benefit more than local residents. Mayor Stefan Krapf of the ÖVP has defended the development as an important boost for the region. Soravia cites a study estimating that the project could create about 150 jobs in the long term and employ up to 200 people at a time during construction.