uni'alumni 2012_ENG

It is the last sizable piece of prime real estate in Freiburg and also the largest bone of contention for city plan- ners: the freight terminal on the north side. The 40-hectare area is slated for renovation into a deluxe business park, a knowledge terminal, as Dr. Bernd Dallmann, director of Freiburg’s market- ing and tourism agency FWTM, is fond of calling it. The tenants are to be ­primarily science and research enter- prises and premium service providers. But the owner and the municipal admin- istration are locking horns on the ques- tion of what the showcase project with the trendy name Gare du Nord should look like. Two Partners, Two Visions The owner of the plot of land with a planned 375,000 square meters of ­useable surface is Aurelis Real Estate, a successor company of Deutsche Bahn. However, the municipal admi­ nistration has the authority to set speci- fications for land use and urban plan- ning conceptions. The city signed a general framework agreement with Deutsche Bahn’s real estate agency in 2000, but the two parties were at odds as to how the land should be developed. City hall wanted a purely commercial development, Aurelis a mix with resi- dential space, which is faster to build and more lucrative to market. The city then resolved to purchase the land, but the negotiations fell through. Transfer site: The freight terminal on Freiburg’s north side, here in the 1930s, was once the town’s main goods station. Photos: Freiburg City Archives, M70/S199 ausblick In 2006 both sides finally agreed to initially concentrate on the old customs office and the warehouses behind it and to conduct new negotiations on possible residential development in another five years. In the meantime, the two parties have agreed on a proportion of 70 per- cent commercial and 30 percent resi- dential space. However, they are still in disagreement as to how exactly this mix should be realized. The city favors buildings with commercial space, such as doctor’s offices and stores, on the ground floor and apartments on the ­upper floors. Aurelis Real Estate, on the other hand, which will have invested 30 million euros in the project by the time it is finished, doesn’t see why purely resi- dential blocks shouldn’t be allowed in the heart of the new neighborhood. The First Tenants Have Already Moved In But even though the last word has not yet been spoken, the historical customs office building and the customs halls have been restored, and the first tenants have already moved in – including the advertising agency Quint, a studio of the fitness chain Rückgrat, and Quintiles GmbH, a service provider for medical research. Aurelis built a plaza in front of the customs house and turned it over to the city. The three-million-euro gift is part of the agreement with the city, but it is also a nice gesture. As a German say- ing goes, gifts maintain friendships. New brilliance: A large new plaza has been built in front of the restored customs office.Photo: Aurelis Real Estate Living at the Knowledge Terminal Developers Are Planning a Business Park on the North Side – but the Details Are Under Contention A LOOK FORWARD 31uni'alumni 2012 City Life