Kaiserviertel: 500 million for Offenbach's new residential area!

Kaiserviertel: 500 million for Offenbach's new residential area!

The city of Offenbach is today presenting a major construction project that is intended to permanently change the face of the Kaiserlei district by 2029. From 2026, the old Siemens towers, which stand prominently on the border with Frankfurt, will be demolished to make room for the new residential area called the “Kaiserviertel”. This announcement was made by Offenbach's mayor Felix Schwenke, Frankfurt's mayor Mike Josef and Frank Junker, the head of the city's housing association ABG. A common goal that unites everyone involved: the creation of urgently needed living space.

The Kaiserviertel will offer a total of 1,179 rental apartments and 354 dormitory places for students. Of this, 10% of the usable living space, i.e. around 97 apartments, is intended as publicly subsidized housing. State Secretary Ines Fröhlich from the Hessian Ministry of Economics and Transport emphasized the importance of support for the project, especially for the student dormitory. Although the city's guidelines call for a 30% share of subsidized housing, it continues to point to the need for cross-party support to implement the project.

High investments and intermunicipal cooperation

Around 500 million euros will be invested in the construction project, with ABG raising 25% from equity and 75% from borrowed funds. A purchase price with the Adler Group has not yet been announced. Mike Josef described the project as a “blueprint” for the inter-communal cooperation that is urgently needed in the region. After all, it was contractually stipulated in the past that the towers that had to make way for the new building did not belong to the city of Offenbach, which made planning more difficult.

Ines Fröhlich also emphasized in her speech that the construction of 354 dormitory places for students is a particularly important aspect of ensuring affordable housing for young people in the city. This sets an example for the promotion of Offenbach as a business location and the attractiveness for students in the region.

Sustainable urban development and planned infrastructure

In addition to creating living space, the infrastructure in the Kaiserlei area will also be expanded: commercial space and a parking garage are planned along Strahlberger Straße with at least 4,200 square meters of office space and 737 car parking spaces, which should take into account the high parking pressure in the area. A daycare center is also to be built as part of the project, with the ABG covering the costs for the daycare places.

The project is being received positively by the political forces in Offenbach, both from the CDU and the Left, as the consideration of commercial space and parking spaces is seen as important steps towards upgrading the area. In a letter from the magistrate to the city council, the complexity of the negotiations that ultimately resulted in a letter of intent for the use of the former KWU area becomes clear.

The project is also in line with the goals of the federal government's urban development funding, which has supported sustainable urban development in Germany for over 50 years. In the 2024 federal budget, 790 million euros are earmarked for urban development funding in order not only to create living space, but also to stabilize socially disadvantaged neighborhoods and shape urban development transformation processes. Urban development funding has proven to be an essential component of urban development strategies.

Overall, the planned Kaiserviertel is about to undergo an exciting implementation that will not only create living space, but also sustainably improve the quality of life in the region. This ambitious project sends a strong signal for the future of the city of Offenbach.