Berne: SBB and Mobiliar want to build in WankdorfCity
After the city of Bern has realized a service center in the western part of the WankdorfCity site in a first construction phase, this is now to be supplemented to the east. SBB and Mobiliar want to invest.
The City of Bern, as the landowner, is developing and marketing the part of the WankdorfCity site that belongs to it in several steps. The first stage of development is nearing completion: a new service center with around 4,500 jobs has been created on the former abattoir site, including the new corporate headquarters of SBB and Swiss Post. Three buildings have already been completed, and another is in the final stages of realization.
Now WankdorfCity is to be expanded in an easterly direction. For this purpose, the city administration wants to give three additional building sites to investors under building rights. On one building site, SBB wants to construct an operations building in which it will concentrate its IT. On the other two sites, Schweizerische Mobiliar Asset Management AG is planning a mix of uses comprising around 150 apartments, a hotel, restaurants, bars, stores and a fitness center.
The City of Berne has already concluded reservation agreements with SBB and Mobiliar on the transfer of the site sections in building rights. The three building areas are to be fully developed and handed over to the building owners in a condition ready for construction. The necessary investments - such as demolition of the existing buildings, remediation of contaminated sites and infrastructure work - will be made by the City of Bern as the landowner.
The municipal council has approved the bill on the transfer of the building areas and the increase in the investment credit for the attention of the city council. The voters have the final say on the proposal: they are expected to decide on June 5, 2016. (ah)
