Consistent: “homes for everyone”

Good results, milestones for the stimulus projects of the urban development strategy mg+ Wachsende Stadt and new residential areas throughout the city: at the annual press conference, the management team of Mönchengladbach’s development company EWMG had a clear message: we are making good progress.

At €11.6 million, revenue was only slightly below the figure for 2018 (€14.3 million). Rental business has developed into a second cornerstone of activities, accounting for revenue of €4.8 million. Including the NEW dividend, EWMG expects profit for the year to reach about €4.4 million. “We are on the right track,” Dr. Ulrich Schückhaus, Chairman of the EWMG Management Board, explained. He said that economic stability was important in order to pursue long-term goals consistently. “The main focus in 2019 is on implementation.” Schückhaus referred to the many major urban development projects such as Seestadt mg+ or the Maria Hilf terraces which have been initiated and planned together with the city administration over the past few years. “Things are really taking shape in 2019.”

The management team of EWMG (from left): Dr. Gregor Bonin – City Director, Technical Assistant to the City of Mönchengladbach and EWMG Managing Director, Horst Peter Vennen – Chairman of the EWMG Supervisory Board and Dr. Ulrich Schückhaus – Chairman of the EWMG Management Board

On the site of the former Maria Hilf Hospital, demolition work will start in 2019 to pave the way for the new residential quarter which promises “homes for everyone”. In the heart of the city, a green urban district with an area of 4.4 hectares where people can enjoy living together is being created. This district will have few cars, will be barrier-free and will have excellent links to the business centre of Mönchengladbach.

Progress has also been made with development on the REME site, which was formerly used for military purposes. Marketing of the first section around the tank workshop is due to start in the first half of the year.The search is underway for an investor for the area around the former tank workshop to realise a mixed, urban residential quarter meeting the highest urban planning and architectural quality requirements in line with social, environmental and economic standards. Individual plots of land in the north-eastern section of the area are to be placed on the market in the second half of the year.

Homes for everyone – a systematic approach

In the heart of the city, about 3,000 houses and flats for people of all ages and incomes as well as space for related facilities such as childcare centres and service businesses are to be created over the next few years. “We want to convince even more people of the benefits of Mönchengladbach,” said Dr. Gregor Bonin, City Director and EWMG Managing Director. “This is why we are consistently investing in high-quality urban development with a view to creating homes for everyone that are not only modern but also affordable.” In order to move this – national – issue forward, he said that the city administration would be preparing a residential market concept for Mönchengladbach by the summer. “We have a good blend of marketing strategies to reach all groups of townspeople,” Bonin explained.

In this context, Supervisory Board Chairman Horst Peter Vennen had some good news. New homes are being built in many districts of the city. “Whether you are a nature lover or a confirmed city-dweller, you will find the right place to live in Mönchengladbach.“ Currently, EWMGis marketing plots for a total of 22 houses on Thomas-Merkelbach-Straßein the Rheindahlendistrict of the city. A new multi-generational residential area is to be created on the site with a total area of 16,300 square metres. Buyers for the 15 plots of land included in the first stage of the project have been drawn by lot. Applications for the second stage, which includes seven plots of land, must be received by the beginning of May.

A total of some 30 flats in multi-family houses are to be constructed on the site on Winkelner Straße in Hardt with an area of about 4,000 square metres. Marketing begins in the second half of the year. This also applies to the new development area on Bönninghausenstraße in Neuwerk, where about 20 homes are to be created, with 11 single-family houses and two blocks of flats and a total area of about 8,000 square metres.

In addition to housing, the childcare situation is also a key argument, especially for families with children. Together with the city administration, EWMG has launched a childcare offensive. Contracts for four sites have already been concluded, with two more to follow in the near future. The first new kindergartens will therefore probably be opened in mid-2020. Calls for tender for five further plots of land have been launched and steady progress is being made.