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Former Police HQ and the Matthäusareal

Topic:
Housing, Offices, Gastronomie, Einzelhandel
District: Local district:
1
Size of area:
4,2 ha
Project management:

Mr. Ingo Weiskopf
fone: +49 (0)69 212 34235

Frau Kirsten Bandi
fone: +49 (0)69 212 44338


Project description

Reason for planning
The development area stands out for its central location between the Frankfurt Main Railway Station and the Frankfurt trade fair complex. Given the fact that the former Police HQ is completely vacant and a decision has been taken to tear down the Matthäuskirche, the area offers great potential for internal development and a reorganization of the urban fabric.

The Police HQ has stood vacant for many years, and the planning law under Land Use Plan no. 556 - Messeviertel/Hemmerichsweg has existed just as long, both of which have been obstacles to any advances being made with urban planning. The original objectives associated with this area were not achieved on the central sections of real estate that formed the former Police HQ. The fact that the area is not being used does not do justice to this especially favorable location on Platz der Republik.

Moreover, the legally binding Land Use Plan no. 556 does not reflect the conceptual considerations of the High-Rise Development Plan in its updated 2018 version and therefore does not foresee allowing for a high-rise site to be created on the plots around the Matthäuskirche. This high-rise concept will be revisited in the course of amending the land use plan and if required elaborated further.

At the same time, the overall urban planning conditions of the legally binding land use plan have changed since it came into force in 2001. Frankfurt has a great need for additional apartments as we can expect the clear population growth to continue. At the same time, the development area continues to be appealing as a downtown office, service and hotel location.

In addition, the necessary social infrastructure facilities need to be created for the new quarter that will arise. Likewise, a site enabling expansion of the Flakschule in the northwest section of the area needs to be taken into account in the planning.

The order of the day must therefore be to adequately factor in these overall conditions and array of requirements by devising and implementing a coherent overall concept for the entire area covered by the planning.

Development area

The development area is located in the east section of the Gallus district to the west of Friedrich Ebert Anlage and thus borders on the districts of Westend South and Bahnhofsviertel. It is delimited by the Friedrich Ebert Anlage, Mainzer Landstrasse, Ludwigstrasse and Hohenstaufenstrasse. It is about 4.2 hectares in size.

Planning objectives
The intention behind amending the land use plan is to create the basic framework in which to develop a mixed-usage urban quarter with a high proportion of housing in the development area in question. At the same time, the wish remains to create an attractive office, service and hotel hub.

In this way, the goal is to create the conditions so that the development area can make a larger contribution to creating housing than has hitherto been possible under planning law at present. For the housing construction in the district that will be permitted under the amended law, in line with the resolution on building land, the requirement is that a total of 30% shall be subsidized housing.

At the same time, the option must be kept open to create attractive and modern office spaces. To this end, on the one hand the heritage-listed former Police HQ will be modernized with a view to it fulfilling new uses, and, on the other, in the new builds there will also be a high proportion of office and commercial spaces.

Particular attention is thus being paid in the planning to striking a good balance of mixed uses. These will primarily be housing and commercial usages. In addition, uses that bring more vibrancy on the ground floors will potentially be allowed. The ground floor space will be categorized as part of public space and securing areas for the social and cultural infrastructure will likewise boost the diversity of uses in the quarter.

Project progress

With the City Council resolution of Feb. 1, 2018, the procedure for changing Land Use Plan no. 556 was formally set in motion. Likewise in 2018, the State of Hessen sold the real estate around the former Police HQ to a private property developer. In 2020, and with the involvement of the City of Frankfurt, the latter held a two-phase urban planning/architectural competition. Winner of the first prize was architecture practice Meixner Schlüter Wendt, which was commissioned to revise and advance the urban planning proposal in line with the jury’s recommendations.

After the Evangelischer Regionalverband (the Regional Protestant Association) had agreed as early as 2018 to the sale of the real estate around Matthäuskirche, mid-2020 finally saw the sale of the properties. A section of land sized 650 m² was retained by Evangelischer Regionalverband on which to erect a new church building.

A competition to develop a suitable urban planning/architectural concept for the new builds on the grounds round the Matthäuskirche, the so-called Matthäusareal, are still being discussed.

Both concepts are expected to form the basis for further amendments to the new land use plan. It will need to be formulated in line with the findings of expert opinions tabled on the topics of relevance to the site and the planning, and will have to weigh up all considerations in keeping with the statutory requirements.

Timely public consultations took place from May 2-13, 2022. Citizens were given the opportunity to find out about the status of planning and to submit recommendations to the City of Frankfurt Planning Dept. Key topics addressed in the feedback, in particular, related to nature and the environment, artists and cultural producers, infrastructure and utilities, as well as urban planning and procedural issues. The recommendations received are being examined with an eye to their relevance and whether they can be realized in the planning and the draft land use plan is being fleshed out accordingly.

In an information event held in the context of the meeting of the Local Advisory Council for District 1 on April 26, 2022, traffic and transportation issues were also addressed.
With the City Council resolution of Feb. 2, 2023, the resolution to draw up the new land use plan was changed, thus switching the procedure over to a fast-track process in line with article 13a of BauGB, the German Building Code, and the planning objectives defined more precisely. On the basis of the attached planning concept (see also the masterplan uploaded on this project page), the Executive Council is instructed to prepare the draft land use plan and put it on public display without any further resolution being required.