Brühl: Extensive refurbishment measures begin
"The Brühl is becoming a building site and that is very good news! Over the next few years, the numerous upcoming renovations will bring more life back to the neighbourhood," says Mayor Ludwig, summarising the now foreseeable development around the boulevard. The activities of investors and owners with regard to the purchase and development of buildings on Brühl have developed in such a way that a large part of the building stock will be refurbished over the next few years.
This is the message from today's presentation of the ongoing and planned redevelopment projects in the Brühl office. Mayor Barbara Ludwig, Brühl manager Urs Luczak, representatives of Dritte Sinus Beteiligungs GmbH & Co KG (Unger Group), the managing director of GGG, Simone Kalew, and other partners reported on the completed and planned projects. There was also information on the accompanying measures in the public space as well as projects and activities of the Brühl management.
The Unger Group is the first major investor to invest in Brühl - ten buildings are now being developed in Karree 5. Construction is currently underway. From around the middle of the year, the first interested parties will be able to contact one of the company's offices on site for more information.
GGG has already completed its refurbishment work in Karree 1. Simone Kalew emphasises the positive demand situation and announces further GGG projects. This year will see the refurbishment of the two buildings at Brühl 51 and Herrmannstrasse 9 to a higher standard.
Brühl 36, on the corner of Herrmannstrasse, has been successfully refurbished by a private owner - the residential and commercial units are already fully let. Brühl 54 and 61, the latter by the Brühlpioniere, are almost complete.
It is becoming clear that a large part of the Brühl will soon be developed and new residents will move to the Brühl. "We are confident that the marketing of the residential and then the commercial properties will also be successful," says Mayor Ludwig. This is because there have been numerous enquiries at the Brühl office. The Brühl office will now become a contact and brokerage centre.
Other GGG properties were successfully sold to private individuals - such as Karl-Liebknechtstrasse 33 to 37 and 41, Herrmannstrasse 1 and 3 and Brühl 55. The new owners have plans for refurbishments for all of these properties for the next few years until around 2017, secured by refurbishment obligations in the purchase agreement.
Other private owners are currently starting their refurbishments.
This brings the total number of buildings that will be refurbished over the next few years to 27; 12 properties have been refurbished since 2011. "In property terms, this is a great success: the strategy of joint development of the Brühl has paid off," reports Mayor Ludwig. In particular, the joint commitment of Brühl Management, the KiQ - Cooperation in the Quarter project, the Free State of Bavaria and the TU with the planned development of the Alte Aktienspinnerei into the core of a new university quarter, as well as the SOP funding programme, have made this development possible. The start of construction work on the central library is expected to provide further impetus.
As the aim is to create an urban, vibrant neighbourhood of opportunities in addition to the purely property-related development, the remaining buildings are now to be used to create opportunities for initiatives and project sponsors for new forms of living and working and different usage concepts. The Brühlbüro is the contact point for such approaches and ideas, and initial concepts are already available.
The expansion of the music centre in the former Karl Liebknecht School is also progressing successfully. An opening is planned for October this year. There are also plans to further upgrade the former gymnasiums with cultural activities that are compatible with the neighbourhood.
At the same time, the city will take further measures in public spaces. Individual trees have already been planted in side streets, and the next few years will see the implementation of the traffic concept and the further design of the Brühl. The character of the boulevard will be retained despite its trafficability - the result will be a traffic-calmed zone (shared space) where different road users can co-exist. The platforms will be remodelled and parts of the enclosing walls will be removed to create accessibility and open up the terraces to the boulevard. A market square with paving will be created in the entrance area on Georgstrasse.
The implementation of the energy-efficient neighbourhood concept is also in full swing. Over the next few years until 2018, the new district heating lines will be laid and individual buildings will be connected to the LowEx low-temperature network - the construction of the solar thermal system opposite on the other side of the Chemnitz will follow. Chemnitz was selected as one of twelve model projects out of 260 nationwide projects in KfW's urban energy refurbishment programme.
"The next few years at Brühl will therefore be decisive," says Mayor Ludwig. The main focus is now on marketing flats in particular, but also on developing further projects and attracting business, retail, catering and creative uses. Positive signs can also be seen here. Brühl 24 on the corner of Georgstrasse with a modern antiquarian bookshop and Brühl 36 with a café are expected to open in the spring. Further potential lettings are already on the horizon.
City of Chemnitz, Brühl office - Brühl manager Dr Urs Luczak,
Office: Untere Aktienstraße 12 (corner of Brühl-Boulevard)
Telephone: 0371- 488 1585, e-mail: bruehl(at)stadt-chemnitz.de
Brühl office opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday 12 to 4 pm, Friday 10 am to 2 pm