The city can count on further money from the federal government to develop and upgrade Offenbach's city center. In response to the wave of Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof closures in spring 2023, the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building had expanded its current funding program "Sustainable inner cities and centers" (ZIZ) and provided additional funds for cities with department store locations. This is intended to counteract negative effects on city centers in the wake of closures. Offenbach also benefits from this.
1.525 million euros are available for the development of the former Kaufhof property.
City Treasurer Martin Wilhelm: "The city can expect a further 1.144 million euros from the expanded funding pot. With the city's own contribution, 1.525 million euros will then be available for the development of the former Kaufhof property in the pedestrian zone if the city council approves the municipal council's application and its own contribution at its September meeting."
Redesigning the town hall pavilion with federal funds
The city of Offenbach had already successfully applied for funding from the ZIZ federal funding program in 2021. The approved funding of 350,000 euros (including the city's own contribution) will mainly be used for planning the conversion and redesign of the town hall pavilion and for public relations work in this context. On the initiative of Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke, the City of Offenbach has now once again applied for further funding due to the closure of Kaufhof. The additional federal funding that has now been promised is to be used until the end of 2024 to develop various options for the subsequent use of the former Kaufhof property. This also includes the conceptual consideration of the surrounding area, process support, broad public relations work and possible structural measures. Units of up to 300 square meters can be funded for temporary uses in the former Kaufhof property. For larger temporary uses, the city can also draw on additional funding that the state of Hesse is now providing for cities with Kaufhof locations via the "Zukunft Innenstadt" urban development program (see today's joint press release from Limburg, Hanau and Offenbach).
The federal funding program and the city's own funds alone will provide the city with 1.875 million euros for the development of the Kaufhof property and the town hall pavilion, thereby strengthening the city centre. The prerequisite is that the city councillors approve the magistrate's extended funding application and the provision of the city's own funds. It remains to be seen how much money Offenbach will receive from the new three million euro funding pot of the state of Hesse, as an application will only be possible at a later date.
Initial considerations for interim use of the property
It is not yet clear what the subsequent use of the former Kaufhof building will look like. However, the economic development agency has a clear idea of how the process for a subsequent use can be supported with the financial resources that are now available. It is in close contact with the owner of the property in order to examine existing ideas for interim use of the first floor areas together with him. "The city is also prepared to support the owner in developing a permanent and viable usage concept," says Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke and emphasizes: "We have always said that the city cannot save the city centre on its own, as the properties belong almost exclusively to private owners. However, it is absolutely clear that we are doing our bit and that a new use will not fail because of us. On the contrary, our proposals for the next steps are on the table."
The economic development agency's activities for the city center are based on the objectives and priorities of the city center future concept, which was approved by the city councillors in 2020. Of the 14 future projects that are being implemented step by step, the "Testraumallee" project has now also been launched. The first goal is to realize a pilot project. The faster implementation of measures from the future concept is also made possible by the fact that Agentur Mitte, which coordinates the projects of the future concept, has had two new employees since July 1 and August 15 respectively. Testraumallee is intended to support the establishment of new and diverse points of attraction with quality retail, gastronomy, services, crafts , etc. on the first floor of the city center. The central component of Testraumallee is innovative space brokerage. This involves individually tailored marketing of space, as has already been achieved with the Groundfloor project, for example, simple and fast approval processes and - where possible and justifiable - subsidies for conversion measures for new tenants.
To prevent private property from being permanently subsidized by taxpayers' money, the city's financial focus is on its own projects such as the Climate and Weather Workshop and Station Mitte, which plans to relocate the city library to the pedestrian zone. The festival program and the Green Belt to improve the quality of life are also part of the future project to revitalize Offenbach's city centre.
