Tychy is a town with a population of 140,000 situated in the southern part of the Upper Silesian Industrial Region, on the intersection of the international Warsaw-Vienna highway and the national Opole-Cracow road. The town is located 20 kilometres from Katowice, 58 kilometres from the Katowice-Pyrzowice airport, 85 kilometres from the Cracow-Balice airport, and 50 kilometres from the Silesian Beskidy Mountains. Tychy has the best ecological conditions in Upper Silesia, thanks both to its geographic position and to its systematic care for the environment. The town serves as an administrative and commercial centre for the southern part of the Silesian agglomeration. Tychy has the attributes necessary to participate in the process of development at an equal level with larger provincial urban areas.
The town's opportunities for development are based on the following:
- its location by international, national, and regional roads and railway lines,
- easy access to the Katowice agglomeration and to international airports (in Pyrzowice and Balice),
- the town's inclusion in the European teletechnical system,
- no mining damage,
- a favourable location near areas of unspoiled nature and not far from the Silesian Beskidy Mountains - a recreational area of more than regional importance,
- the natural environment creates healthy conditions for living and vacationing,
- underground water supplies which could be used for local needs,
- gas and electricity reserves,
- land available for industry, and land zoned for housing
- existing material potential including modern industries in which finished articles production predominates, and a technical infrastructure of a low rate of decapitalisation.
- the town's location on the main regional developmental axes: the national axis of settlement of Katowice-Bielsko Biała-Cieszyn and the regional axis of settlement of Gliwice-Tychy-Oświęcim-Kraków.
- the proximity to large ready markets,
a receptive labour market and a youthful society capable of adapting to new procedures.
A chief element in the town's development strategy is the creation of the Tychy-Katowice Sub-Zone - a Special Economic Zone. The Tychy Sub-Zone is to have 143.32 hectares, spread over two areas on the town's administrative borders.
"Wschód", the larger portion of the Sub-Zone, is located in the Urbanowice quarter. It is mostly an undeveloped area, although in part of the municipal land there is a building of 9,504 sq. m., of steel construction, and 9 other buildings, including a production hall of 1,200 sq. m., a transformer station, and staff and warehouse buildings. The following utilities are available in the "Wschód" area:
- a low level and medium level gas pipeline (following the construction of the gas distribution station),
- a medium tension power line,
- water mains (the main line at a distance of 300 m, city water network at a distance of 150 m),
- there is the possibility oif supplying industrial grade water from the water treatement plant located 500m away.
- the provision of thermal energy (the thermal energy network runs along the north-western border of the lot),
- sewer network (the southern sewer collecting pipe runs along the southern edge of the lot, the northern sewer collecting pipe runs along the eastern edge of the lot),
"Technopark" is composed of land situated in the centre of town, and on which there are administrative and business buildings. The area has full access to basic infrastructure.
Both areas are conveniently located in relation to the national and international transportation routes. In the main "Wschód" area there are two railway branch lines. A railway siding adjoins the northern part of the territory. The maximum possible tax breaks established by the law of 20/10/94 on special economic zones have been adopted for investors in the Tychy Sub-Zone.
Proposals for locating businesses in the town of Tychy:
Taking into consideration the attractiveness of the location, existing needs, and the favourable investment conditions, Tychy is offering the following buildings for use (see map):
- A manor house and park on ul. Katowicka no. 2
The grounds cover 2.2 hectares, on which there is a manor house and a park, with a concert bowl and a beer tavern. The grounds have a good exposure, and convenient communications services on account of its location near one of the main transit arteries in the Katowice-Bielsko direction. The historical estate of the Tychy Breweries which is in the neighbourhood, is noteworthy for its architecture and landscaping. The manor house's unique surroundings and its historical and aesthetic values create a special atmosphere that could be put to use by adapting its interior for a wide range of recreational, catering, or hotel services, and the park could be used for rest or active leisure activities (the terrain could be used for walking, open air games, concerts, exhibitions, or special events).
- The land and buildings of the former Paprocka Smelting Works.
The grounds are situated between the northeastern bank of Paprocańskie Lake, the fork of the Gostynka river and an artificial canal leading to the lake. There are three brick buildings on the grounds: an administrative and residential building from the second half of the 19th century, production building from the first part of the 19th century, and a building from 1787. There is also a wooden building being used as an accessory building, and which is not under protection. The buidings of the Paprocka Smelting Works, whose beginnings go back to the early 18th century, are unique industrial facilities with high aesthetic value and possibilities for use. As a part of the cultural heritage the buildings are under strict protection and are entered in the register of historical buildings. A future user would be required to renovate and modernise the buildings and to adapt them to a new commercial function. The buildings could, in particular, be adapted for restaurants, hotels, leisure activities, or entertainment. The brick buildings must be preserved in their present form, but a change of area in the wooden building is allowable. The group of buildings needs to be made more attractive by the restauration of the entry gate, whose remains are visible from the bridge on the Gostynka river; the hard paving of the area with Belgian block or cement cobbles that would emphasise the original (technical) character of the buildings; and the use of a nearby pond.
- The Downtown Complex
This is one of the town's most attractive proposals: the land earmarked for this development is located in the centre of town, in the area of ul. Dąbrowskiego and al. Jana Pawła II.
The planned development is expected to involve the following:
- A housing programme, of around 75,000 sq. m. of useable space (brutto), for approximately 3,000-3,200 inhabitants.
- A services programme:
- service space on the ground floors of apartment blocks, around 24,000 sq. m. (brutto),
- free standing buildings: a town hall of around 1,500 sq. m. (brutto), with, for instance, an auditorium seating 500, a multi-purpose building, an office building of around 12,000 sq. m. (brutto),
- service buildings in the green passage on ul. Dąbrowskiego,
Area of the grounds: 30 hectares. The land has basic and arterial installations in the technical infrastructure systems, convenient transportation connections through the nearness of the general municipal transit routes, and the possibility of the unconventional use of a railway line which runs in a trench.
- Land earmarked for housing construction.
The town of Tychy has various offers for housing construction: varied lot sizes, and land in varying degrees of development.
The largest land offers involve the following lots:
"The Z-1 Housing Development" - 10 hectares of land earmarked for the construction of housing and commercial facilities. The land is located in the southern part of town. To the south and west it adjoins the Pszczyńskiej Wilderness and other land of ecological value. It is in the near vicinity of Paprocański Lake. It has been proposed that these grounds should be included in the planned Pszczyński Scenic Park. The unusual attractiveness of the location, and the natural qualities of the land, place pro-ecological requirements on the development: these are to be expressed in terms of layout, the building capacity of the land, and the manner of equipping the development with utilities. The formal, legal, and design work has already been completed, so construction could begin at once. Planned receptivity: 90 houses of in-line semi-detached, and free standing single family construction, with lots varying from 400 to 1,100 sq. m.. The in-line construction is to be accompanied by a built in services area of 2,970 sq. m., which is to form an attractive frontage. The object of the town's proposal is to find partners for the construction of this development.
"Jaroszowice" - 9 hectares of land situated between Dworską, Samochodową, Pasterską and Miodową streets in Jaroszowice. The land is earmarked for the construction of free standing single family town houses. The development requires a sewer system. Other utilities (water, gas, and electricity) are already laid on.
"The Balbina Housing Development" - land located in the centre of town, along ul. Budowlanych, earmarked for high-rise construction. A tentative estimation of the land's capacity envisages 670 apartments in buildings with various numbers of floors. The construction of a trunk water mains, and sewer lines to the northern collecting pipe. Thermal heat from the local system is a possibility.
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