"Ground Floor" project: 14 companies supported and first floor areas revitalized

At a closing event on November 30 at the Grace Studiobar, Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke, Minister of State Tarek Al-Wazir and the project participants looked back on the successful funding project and presented some of the supported companies.

In the "Ground Floor" project, the city focused on the design and revitalization of vacant first floor spaces in Nordend, the southern city centre and the Senefelder Quartier, which have a particular impact on the quality of public spaces. The project sponsor was the city's employment promotion agency. The Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the District Chamber of Crafts, the private real estate industry, the "Gründerstadt Offenbach" initiative, the city's business development department and the neighborhood management were represented on the funding committee.

A total of 14 companies from the fields of product design, crafts, photography, retail, events, co-working and gastronomy were supported by Ground Floor Offenbach with funding, advice and networking. Almost half of the investments came as subsidies from the European Structural Funds (ERDF) in the local economy. After a tour, Lord Mayor Schwenke said: "I am delighted that there are now even more good reasons to explore our city. Offenbach has a lot to offer, even beyond Wilhelmplatz."

Schwenke emphasized that the city had used the project specifically for its strategic work to promote innovative companies, avoid vacant retail space and at the same time drive forward development in the city's various districts. The funding offered the opportunity to stabilize the economic structure in the districts and at the same time create attractive offers that radiate into the districts, but also in some cases far beyond: "The Nordend and the Senefelder district have already been supported for several years as part of the urban development programme 'Social Cohesion'. Investments were made there using the program's funds to support measures to improve the residential environment and infrastructure. With the Ground Floor project, we have now also been able to include courageous young entrepreneurs in the funding. The supported companies offer good products, quality and smart business concepts. I am delighted that they have started up in Offenbach or are developing further."

For Tarek Al-Wazir, Hessian Minister for Economics, Energy, Transport and Housing, the Hessian funding program financed from European funds has successfully promoted small and medium-sized enterprises and created jobs and training places in districts with special support needs: "Good social urban development also needs vital economic structures. The program has made a contribution to this. It was important to focus on innovative and sustainable business concepts. This has worked well in Offenbach."

As Peter Cachola Schmal, Director of the Deutsches Architekturmuseum, explained, the focus on the first floor location is also of central importance for the "Arrival City": "Offenbach is a place where people from all over the world arrive. Public and semi-public places such as stores, cafés and restaurants play a special role in offering these people a new home. As we learned, a successful 'Arrival City' needs commercially usable and small-scale first floors. It's great that this has been clearly understood in Offenbach and has now been supported with a funding program."