LINZ. “Complete radio silence” according to GMK-Immobilien-Managing Director Martin Klier between his company and ÖBB. For the planned new city district on Wiener Strasse between the Union crossing and the music theater, this means nothing other than a standstill.
As reported, the result of an urban development competition was presented in 2018. Three buildings and a 2000 square meter square (see photo) are planned, which the ÖBB want to cede to the city of Linz. This is also the basis for the development plan, which, however, only comes to the municipal council when the project is actually implemented. “The project is on standby”confirmed City Councilor Dietmar Prammer (SP).
Two disagreeing owners
The problem is that the area has two owners. 14,700 square meters belong to ÖBB, around 1100 square meters to GMK. However, the planned sale of the approximately 120-meter-long GMK plot of land along Wiener Strasse to ÖBB is likely to have finally failed. In March last year, the purchase price was 3.5 million euros – too much for the ÖBB, which had the reason assessed by an expert and came up with a much lower price.
“We have to follow strict rules and therefore cannot pay fancy prices”, says Martin Scheiflinger, project manager at ÖBB-Immobilien. Separate development is not possible. On the one hand, that wouldn’t make sense, because the GMK part consists of a narrow, about 120 meter long strip along Wiener Straße, on the other hand, the model that emerged from the competition is prescribed by the city.
This does not change anything about the project itself, only that both owners are now looking for buyers separately. ÖBB never intended to build it itself. “We want to sell the land to the best bidder in a public process”, says Scheiflinger. Anyone who buys both plots of land can realize the project. It is obvious that nothing will come of the planned start of construction in 2023, even if ÖBB has long since demolished all the buildings on their site. In the meantime, weights are still being lifted in the fitness studio on the GMK-Grund.
Source: Nachrichten
