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The city of Offenbach has hired a manager for the “Agency Mitte”. The concept gave economic development a boost for the otherwise difficult discussions with the owners of the properties in the city center.
Mitte station, Kosmopolis department store, Testraum-Allee, roof climber project. This is the name of four of the 14 projects from the inner city future concept that are to be further developed in the coming weeks and months. She will be coordinating communication designer Anna-Maria Rose, who recently started managing the so-called Agency Mitte der Stadt Offenbach. “The experts actually recommended that we hire three people,” reports Mayor Felix Schwenke (SPD). Due to the financial situation of the city, you are trying to get one person for the time being. In the long run, the mayor suspects that this will not be enough in view of the large number of projects.
It will soon be more specific with the topic of Station Mitte, which includes the possible move of the city library. The award talks for a feasibility study will take place at the beginning of November; the award decision should be made at the end of the year, or at the beginning of 2022 at the latest. “We have suggested six locations where you can imagine the library in terms of space,” reports Planning Department Paul-Gerhard Weiß (FDP). It is about leasing or at one point about using an urban property. An area of 6500 to 8200 square meters is required. “But we’re not going to build anything new,” Weiß clarified. The feasibility study also includes developing a re-use concept for the previous location at the Büsingpalais.
250,000 euros are earmarked for the feasibility study in the budget. The city of Offenbach was recently awarded the municipal prize of the State of Hesse, endowed with one million euros, for the Station Mitte project. In addition, there are a further 250,000 from the state funding program “Future City Center”, with which the other projects are being promoted. The municipal contribution is ten percent.
Another project is the possible extension of the town hall pavilion for gastronomic or other public use. The various variants should be fully tested by the end of this quarter. The conversion could take place from 2023. “This is one of the few properties that we can develop ourselves,” emphasizes Bozica Niermann, Head of Economic Development.
For most other projects, the city relies on a good partnership with the owners, which is not always easy. “But there are owners with whom we are just starting a conversation thanks to our concept,” says Niermann hopefully.
The Kosmopolis department store is currently being further developed under the name “UND” by a working group headed by Heiner Blum and Jan Lotter from the Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG). Here, food, handicrafts, textiles, music, performance, literature, everyday culture and much more should come together in one place. What will become of it then is still unclear. A pilot phase lasting several weeks is planned for spring 2022. “I would rather take the risk of failing full of euphoria than sit around idly,” says OB Schwenke.
The same applies to the Test-Raum-Allee. If the municipality had the money, it would immediately rent an area and make it available to the start-up scene. Since the city cannot do this, innovation programs for business models in the city center are to be developed initially with local, but also external actors. It’s about revitalizing retail space and giving creative people the space to try out new business ideas.
“The retail trade can only function if something else is added,” says Weiß. Some owners have now recognized this for their properties and are in the process of implementing it. “It will take at least ten years until we can implement all the projects,” says Schwenke.
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