With the handover of the keys at the beginning of July, Clariant, the previous owner, transferred the 36 hectare former Allessa site to the city. The symbolic act marked the end of 178 years of industrial history in Offenbach and was at the same time something like the official starting signal for the Innovationscampus Offenbach GmbH & Co. KG (INNO) located at the municipal utilities. It will develop and market the former industrial area in the east of Offenbach, which is considered the largest contiguous inner-city commercial area in the region, over the next 10 to 15 years.
Offenbach – “It will be even better than the port”, INNO boss Daniela Matha is sure of her own optimism. The pressure of expectation is likely to be immense. In contrast to the already successful conversion of the former industrial port into a new part of the city, which was controlled by the Stadtwerke subsidiary OPG, which was also viewed with skepticism at the beginning, this time politicians are united behind the project, which is seen as a unique opportunity for Offenbach.
“We can build on the know-how that we have acquired in the port,” says Bozica Niermann, who runs the new company with Matha and Stadtwerke manager Peter Walther. However, it is now a purely industrial area, the tasks are not as diverse as in the port.
The cornerstones of what the INNO is to record as a success in the end are already in place: “More jobs, more business tax, placement as a modern business location”, Daniela Matha lists. When it comes to the question of which companies are necessary for this, there are only vague ideas: It is about companies that are active in design and research, according to Matha. But classic mechanical engineering, medium-sized companies and family businesses are also conceivable. Matha refers to a research project “Designpark Offenbach” that has been running for three years, in which the University of Design and the city are exploring the possibilities.
One thing is already certain: The Filetstück will not become an off-the-shelf industrial area. There should be public areas, lots of green, restaurants and possibly exhibition concepts with the companies. Bozica Niermann describes the listed buildings on the site as a “challenge” in planning. The EVO pellet plant, a large area that has already been used, is both a blessing and a curse. “We have to plan around that.”
There are to be changes in the traffic infrastructure: In the area of Mühlheimer Straße / Untere Grenzstraße, one of the main entrances is being built, from there the area will open up to the Main. At the same time, the Mainstrasse in front of Bürgel is to be cut and connected to the Mainzer Ring.
When considering the possibility of moving municipal facilities to the site, I deliberately give Daniela Matha a cautious approach. “It’s on the list of things we check. However, it is questionable whether it makes sense to move the ESO there. It would be better to attract new companies. “
Marketing of the site is not expected to start for three to four years. Until then, the soil and groundwater will be rehabilitated, the cost of which was factored into the purchase price of 6.95 million euros (around 20 euros per square meter). “We have a good overview of where exactly the contaminated sites are,” assures Daniela Matha. She is keeping a low profile on the budget for the renovation. In view of a purchase price that is far removed from the original Clariant ideas and also from the usual market dimensions for commercial areas in the region, one can assume that contaminated sites will be eliminated in the millions.
The cultural interim use in the west of the area (Friedhofstrasse) will initially be retained. Matha: “You have to see later whether it still fits.” The INNO boss praises the courage of the city to have taken up the “book of action”. “Many municipalities hire external developers on such a scale.”
Information on the Internet
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By Matthias Dahmer
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