Development of the Neighborhood 4.0
19.11.2020 – Now that the city council has approved the resolution for the development of the former Offenbach freight depot at the beginning of November 2020, the way is clear for the development of the residential and commercial area planned there under the name "Quartier 4.0".
According to the landowner, Aurelis Real Estate Service GmbH, the development work is set to begin in the first quarter of 2021 and be completed by mid-2022. Construction work can then begin on the individual building plots.
From 1919, the almost 9-hectare station site in the east of the city center was used to handle goods that were transported by rail. From the 1970s onwards, freight transport changed as globalization progressed. Heavy and industrial bulk goods such as steel and coal were increasingly replaced by higher-value and lighter goods. New markets emerged, road transport increased and transport routes changed. In 1996, the freight station finally ceased to be used as an underground and loading station. The area was then used for various interim purposes.
An urban development framework plan was drawn up for the area back in 2003. This formulated a third pillar of urban development in the east of Offenbach alongside the Kaiserlei area and the city center with the aim of attracting office and service companies. A high-rise office building was also planned. From 2015, Aurealis commissioned AS+P (Albert Speer + Partner) to work out the development options for the site. The main aim of the planning was to restructure the derelict site into a mixed-use, inner-city district in line with the concept of a "city of short distances". This concept aims to make Offenbach East an attractive location for housing, manufacturing and service businesses. A total of more than 300 residential units are to be built on the mixed development sites on a gross floor area of around 31,000 square meters.
Quartier 4.0 follows the principles of innovative urban development
Paul-Gerhard Weiß, Head of Building and Planning, sees great advantages for urban development in this central but long-forgotten area in Aurelis' plans: "Aurelis' plans envisage a lively quarter in the direct vicinity of the S-Bahn station Ost, which should be very interesting for residents as well as companies and their employees. An innovative and modern location for living and urban production compatible with the city will be created here. What is often referred to today as Industry 4.0."
The new Quartier 4.0 is to be developed according to the principles of innovative urban development. This will take into account future requirements for production processes and business models within an urban space. Modern manufacturing companies or service providers for production are to be located on the site. The associated service and additional facilities are also to be offered for this target group. Internal networking with short distances between living and working is also a basic principle of the new "Quartier 4.0". A new leisure area ("Gleispark") creates space for local recreation - for the residents and employees of the new quarter, but also for the people in the residential and business areas who already live and work around the S-Bahn station East.
Another important building block on the eastern part of the site, adjacent to the future Gleispark, will be a new six-form grammar school, which the city needs due to the sharp rise in pupil numbers. Alongside Leibniz, Albert Schweitzer and Rudolf Koch schools, it will be the fourth grammar school run by the city. There is also a church-run secondary school, the Marienschule. "In the negotiations with Aurelis, we have managed to reserve a site for the new grammar school, which will meet the urgent need for secondary education in Offenbach," says the Head of Building and Planning, who is also responsible for schools.
Download the framework plan:
Updated on February 11, 2022 (new link added to Traffic obstructions on Untere Grenzstraße)