The Neugasse project is dead for SBB

In order to buy the coveted piece of land in Zurich West, the left is putting pressure on SP city councilor André Odermatt.

Locomotive repairs on the Neugasse site: Apartments are no longer planned in the area.

Dominic Nahr / NZZ

Is it insubordination? Or just the only reasonable answer? After the tight election vote for the Neugasse initiative on Sunday, City Councilor André Odermatt (SP) remains firm that he will not ask SBB again to sell the 30,000 square meter area in Zurich’s district 5. The wording of the accepted initiative is clear: the area is “to be acquired or to take over the building rights.”

The SBB would have wanted to build 375 apartments on the Neugass site near the Josefswiese, 125 of them non-profit – but this was not enough for the SP, Greens and AL. Even before the vote, the city council and SBB had warned that if the initiative was yes, there would be no project at all. The initiative committee, supported by red-green, had promised voters 100 percent non-profit housing on the site.

The Neugasse area

1

Railway Workers’ Cooperative

5

Social Insurance Institution (SVA)

Odermatts does not take action because the federal railways have said several times that a sale is out of the question. A request is useless. Lucas Bally, spokesman for the building department, said on Monday when asked about a formal purchase application by the city: the city council was “in regular contact” with the SBB. As part of this, the topic will be “addressed”. This is expected to happen later this year.

For left-green politicians, the city council’s position is untenable. They insist on negotiations.

SBB too little “willing to compromise”

They see two ways to achieve their goal: Either the city buys the area from the SBB. Or the city and the SBB develop a better project together – in other words: with more non-profit apartments.

Oliver Heimgartner, co-president of Stadtzürcher SP, sees SBB as having an obligation. You would have to make a step towards the city. “Unfortunately, the SBB has not shown itself willing to compromise.” It should be noted that the SBB initially offered a third of non-profit housing – and after negotiations with the city, another third of cheap housing for the next 50 years.

From the point of view of the SP, the sale is the best scenario. The municipal council has not yet dealt with the question of the price in detail, says Heimgartner. “So far, SBB has not been willing to talk about this option.” But a purchase will be worthwhile for the city even if the purchase price is high.

The price tag would be steep indeed. If you take the median price of the change of hands in this area at face value, the city of Zurich would have to put over 800 million francs on the table for the 30,000 square meters. However, it is difficult to give a reliable figure. But the estimated value is unlikely to be less than half a billion.

For comparison: the price per square meter would have been in a similar range for the Üetlihof CS office complex, which the city council had wanted to buy. Around 1.2 billion francs for 55,000 square meters was too much for the city parliamentarians this spring.

For Heimgartner, it is more likely that the city and SBB could agree on a higher proportion of non-profit housing in the existing project. The SP had already put forward the idea of ​​a new “deal” with the SBB in the city parliament in the spring; SP City Councilor Odermatt had made it clear once again that the SBB were not willing to make concessions. The SP did not find a majority.

At that time, the SP demanded 40 percent non-profit housing. Now, after the referendum, “the price for the SBB has risen,” says Heimgartner. “I think that after this result, an offer of less than 50 percent non-profit housing will have no chance.”

The logic of the left: the 100 percent demand by the initiators was never meant to be taken seriously. It always served to negotiate a better “deal”.

After all, SBB is a federal company and owned by the population, says Heimgartner. “Instead of SBB, people’s distrust would make me think.” He expresses understanding for City Councilor André Odermatt. His situation is difficult. “The SBB are primarily responsible for accepting the democratic result.”

A “generous” loan

The green municipal councilor Dominik Waser sees the reaction of the SP building supervisor to the referendum less mercifully. On Twitter he announced that the city council in the city parliament would be urged to negotiate with the SBB. “If necessary, we will give him the order with advances. We can also give him a generous loan for a purchase offer.”

The city council cannot simply refer to the previous discussions. Waser floated the idea of ​​an official, concrete purchase offer. Unlike in the past, the urn yes now gives tailwind.

For the SBB, it doesn’t pay off to leave the area fallow, says Waser. And after the vote, it was clear that there would have to be a significantly higher proportion of non-profit apartments. The purchase price will amount to a few hundred million francs. “You can go well beyond conservative estimates.”

Purchase or a «new deal»? For FDP councilor Hans Dellenbach, both scenarios are castles in the air. SBB ruled out the sale. And a new attempt by the city and SBB would probably be legally impossible. Because the order of those entitled to vote is the purchase or sale of building rights. This cannot be reconciled with a new joint project.

In fact, from a constitutional point of view, the question would arise as to how far the city council can deviate from the mandate of the electorate. At the moment, however, this is theoretical. Because the SBB simply don’t want to.

The city writes that the SBB cannot be forced to sell “even with a lot of money”. And when it comes to the idea of ​​a new, “improved” project, it says succinctly that this does not correspond to the text of the initiative. “Further development is therefore not possible,” says Bally. Nothing is happening on the site for the time being.

The SBB project website states succinctly: “Neugasse will not be developed.” The media office’s response to the question of how to proceed is brief: “As has already been communicated several times, the area will not be sold, but will remain the property of SBB; further negotiations are excluded.” The area will continue to be used within the framework of the applicable building regulations and in accordance with the needs of SBB.

Among other things, there is an operations building on the site where damaged trains are repaired. It is to be relocated. It is conceivable that the SBB will convert the company building into office space.

The word “apartments” does not appear in the SBB statement.

source site-111