Tiny house settlement: City of Penzberg itself is not active - but wants to react if necessary

The Penzberg building committee can basically imagine that a tiny house settlement will be built in Penzberg, as proposed by the Green parliamentary group.

A location on the “railway arch” is also not ruled out.

However, the city does not want to actively pursue this.

Penzberg - The Penzberg city building authority is to determine in the next few weeks whether there are interested parties for a tiny house project in the city area. On the basis of variant and location studies, which the interested parties submit themselves, the building committee would then decide whether building planning or building regulations measures are to be initiated. This was decided by the Penzberg construction committee in its most recent meeting. In doing so, he only partially followed a motion by the Greens. This had called for the city to take action itself, for example to show the possibilities for tiny house settlements as part of a development plan and to examine potential locations in Penzberg. As reported, the Green Group had also proposed thatto commission a concrete feasibility study for the urban property at the beginning of the “railway curve” parallel to the Alpine road.

The majority of the construction committee did not want to go that far. Mayor Stefan Korpan (CSU) explained that the city administration will not actively determine in which area a mini-house settlement will be built, or even look for interested parties. Property owners would have to come to the city if they want to build tiny houses. Armin Jabs (BfP) saw it similarly. But if there is a corresponding application, it will of course be examined.

City architect Justus Klement reported at the beginning of the meeting that there are various tiny house concepts, for example the "private ideal idyll" in nature, the caravan as a tiny house, the high-tech version or narrow miniature Houses that close vacant lots - which Klement described as the "most exciting solution". Another form are whole settlements like “Mehlmeisel” in the Fichtelgebirge. But Klement also stated, referring to the district office, that “from a licensing point of view, the small buildings do not have a special position in the building laws”. They should be treated like any other house. “It's not a privileged design.” You tried to offer a small plot of land for a tiny house yourself, Klement said in the meeting. But no interested party got in touch.

As for the approach, the city builder suggested that “the people who are interested in tiny houses and those who have land should get together first and then come to us, as with other projects”. It is not the job of the city planning department to look for interested parties or to plan such a settlement, said Klement. He described the property on the “Bahnbogen” parallel to the Alpenstrasse as ideal for such a project.

Sebastian Fügener (Greens) was ultimately able to support the decision in the building committee.

But he would like the city to show to the outside world that it also wants such new forms of living.

There may be a lot of plots of land that are not yet in the back of your mind.

Martin Janner (PM) put it similarly with regard to the “railway curve”.

The city should "already give a signal that such houses are possible," he said.

Armin Jabs (BfP), on the other hand, warned that it was not clear for a long time whether the property was necessary for “an expansion of Penzberg's mobility”, i.e. for additional track systems.