Berne: Redevelopment of the Burgernziel tram depot
The Bern City Council has approved the building lease agreement for the old streetcar depot in Burgernziel. This means that the inner-city site can be redeveloped and densified.
After the population of the city of Bern approved the development of the Burgernziel streetcar depot with almost 78 percent of the vote, in summer 2016 the municipal council approved the award of the building lease to the bidding consortium Gebäudeversicherung Bern (GVB) and Wohnbaugenossenschaft ACHT (wbg8). Subsequently, the building lease contract lasting over 80 years was negotiated and signed. The municipal council then approved the contract at the end of 2016.
The offer of the bidding consortium was convincing "due to the attractive utilization concept with a close connection to the neighborhood and a mix of tenants, as well as the purchase price of CHF 5.1 million and an annual building lease interest of just under CHF 660,000," according to the city of Bern.
Non-profit housing and space for small businesses
The building lease agreement stipulates that the building leaseholders will implement the winning project "bärn ost" that emerged from a competition. They must create and maintain at least one third of the non-profit housing on the site at cost-covering rents. This means that 35 of the 102 apartments will be rented out on a non-profit basis.
On the first floor of the development, the developers will build school rooms and then make them available to the Bern community at cost rent. The space provided for in the project is also to be made available at cost rent for small businesses and neighborhood uses. The developer should also apply for certification as a "2000-Watt site" and implement the mobility concept that has already been drawn up.
