The city of Freiburg intends to present the first partial development plan with 1,600 apartments for the new district of Dietenbach to the municipal council shortly. At the same time, the purchase of the property has been delayed by a year: the Sparkasse Nördlicher Breisgau, which has negotiated purchase options with the 400 property owners, is questioning the previous cooperation with the city. The savings bank with its subsidiary EMD sees a major risk in the currently sharp rise in interest rates and building prices. A so-called waiver agreement with the city of Freiburg would be valid for 20 years. Because of the great uncertainty about costs, this cannot be calculated at the moment, says Marcel Thimm, head of the Savings Bank. In addition, there are political requirements such as climate neutrality and affordability. Negotiations are now underway as to whether the city will take over EMD, which means that it would have to purchase the land itself by the end of 2023 and market it once the site has been developed. The advantage, according to Freiburg’s building mayor Martin Haag, is that the strict specifications can be readjusted.
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