New life for old houses - residential pioneers on the Sonnenberg
Presentation of the community housing project on 30 October, 11 a.m., Reinhardtstraße 22
On Wednesday, 30 October at 11 a.m., the City of Chemnitz Urban Planning Office, Gemeingut Chemnitz eG, Kooperative Wohnformen Chemnitz and the StadtWohnen Chemnitz agency will jointly present a successful Chemnitz example of a cooperatively organised housing project at Reinhardtstraße 22 on the occasion of the "International Day of Cities". Anyone interested is cordially invited to come and talk to the initiative.
The building at Reinhardtstraße 22 - a typical apartment building on the Sonnenberg that has been empty for a long time - has been given a new and jointly organised lease of life. Ten young people founded a co-operative, GemeinGut Chemnitz eG, and acquired the building.
The location, size and building fabric of the house were decisive factors in the group's decision to buy. The initial gutting work has begun and the refurbishment is due to be completed by 2026. Seven flats of different sizes are planned.
The shop on the ground floor will also be available to neighbouring associations in future in order to support stakeholders and initiatives in the district. The community is already involved in events, neighbourhood roundtables and participation formats - such as the Sonnenbergpromenade - and wants to continue its involvement.
The building needs to be renovated from the ground up. It was a long road to the purchase. The idea of buying a house together had been on the Friends' agenda for some time. The group came across an offer from GGG, which had put Reinhardtstrasse 22 out to tender for interested building cooperatives. Many hurdles had to be overcome before the purchase agreement was signed in July 2024. The initiative received help from two city-funded projects: The StadtWohnen Chemnitz agency provided support in the search for a suitable building and advised on funding opportunities and structural assessments. The municipal advisory programme "Kooperative Wohnformen Chemnitz" (KWC) supported the group from the outset.
Since 2018, interested parties have received free advice from the KWC on all questions relating to communal living: Legal form, financing or even close support from foundation to purchase. The advisory team supports a wide range of interested parties: families who want to acquire property in the city; owners who want to sell their home to a community; housing communities in existing apartment blocks who want to buy their home together - or groups like the young cooperative at Reinhardtstraße 22.
A regular point of contact for interested parties is the digital "Open housing project consultation", which will take place again on 3 December 2024. Registration and information at www.kooperatives-wohnen-chemnitz.de.