Next step for SBB project Neugasse in Zurich

The SBB site between the tracks and Neugasse is a good 30,000 square meters, and plans for its development have been in the works for several years. Now the city council has approved the master plan, which sets out the principles for urban development.

At some point, 900 people are to live on the Neugasse site, and a total of around 375 new apartments are planned. A third of these will be built by housing cooperatives under building law and sold on a cost-plus basis. A 75-square-meter three-room apartment will cost around CHF 1,400 per month. According to the master plan, another third will be rented in the low-price segment (around CHF 1,850), and the final third in the mid-market segment (CHF 2,450). In addition, commercial and community uses are planned, and about 250 jobs are to be created. A municipal school and kindergarten are also included in the master plan. SBB wants to make the currently closed area accessible to the entire city population and, according to its own statements, also contribute to heat reduction and biodiversity with large green and open spaces.

The locomotive shed remains

The ensemble of the Lokomotivremise G, which is listed in the inventory of listed buildings of supra-municipal importance, is to be partially preserved, transformed and converted. In the immediate vicinity are the viaduct arches with leisure and restaurant facilities, and the connection to Hardbrücke station is also to be improved. The area will be low on cars and largely free of through traffic.

The public has been involved in the planning process from 2017/2018, and the city of Zurich speaks of "probably the largest participation process in the city's history". The city council will decide whether the master plan will actually be implemented. The corresponding special commission is currently discussing two directives from the city council that are intended to clear the way for further planning: On the one hand, it is about a popular initiative that requires the city to buy the SBB site Neugasse or to take it over in building rights; on the other hand, it is about taking note of a contract between the city council and the SBB that is primarily intended to secure the favorable rents in the long term.

According to the city of Zurich, SBB has made it clear that it does not want to cede the site, as demanded by the popular initiative. If the city council insists on further demands that go beyond the master plan and the contract with the city, it will stop the project. (ah)