Will the people of Munich soon vote on high-rise buildings again?
An initiative has started a signature campaign against the two planned 155 meter high towers at the Paketposthallen area.
The goal: a citizens' initiative - and a high-rise stop.
The question is highly emotional in Munich: How far into the sky can skyscrapers rise in the city?
No more than 100 meters, the people of Munich had decided in 2004 in a citizens' initiative.
But this decision is no longer legally binding.
Now a high-rise dispute has flared up again – and there could be a new referendum.
Two towers with a height of 155 meters are planned for the area of the parcel post hall.
The "HochhausSTOP" initiative wants to prevent this and has now started collecting signatures for a citizens' initiative.
If the critics have their way, the people of Munich should vote on this question: "Are you in favor of the city of Munich taking all legally permissible measures so that no high-rise building is built in Neuhausen in the vicinity of the parcel post hall that is over 60 meters high?" At least around 35,000 signatures are required before a referendum is held.
Representatives of the initiative will be out and about in the city with lists of signatures.
Skyscrapers at the parcel post hall would be a dam breach
Robert Brannekamper
"The skyscrapers at the parcel post hall would be a dam break," explains initiator and CSU member of parliament Robert Brannekamper.
He fears that they are the prelude "to Munich's path to becoming a high-rise city".
Former SPD city councilor Wolfgang Czisch also warns: “We must not hand the city over to investors.
Frankfurt on the Isar must not exist.” He emphasizes that the critics are not concerned with preventing the creation of apartments.
But: "High-rise buildings have little to do with social housing."
The initiators had considered whether they would align the citizens' request only against the parcel post hall towers or completely against high-rise buildings.
For legal reasons, among other things, they decided to refer to the specific project.
"We hope that the city will then understand the signals," says Brannekamper.
The concerns of the critics
In addition, the supporters criticize the effects of the 155-meter towers on the silhouette of Nymphenburg Palace and the shadows cast.
In a visualization, they show how far this would reach the neighborhood every two hours in December.
They advocate a maximum building height of 60 meters for the Paketposthallen area - and thus significantly less than the mark at the first high-rise referendum in 2004.
"Ecology and sustainability are crucial points and can no longer be represented from 60 meters," explains Brannekamper.
The assessment of the Munich city councilors
The chairman of the SPD city council faction, Christian Müller, contradicts this.
"Good architecture and climate neutrality are not measured by height," he explains.
CSU City Councilor Manuel Pretzl also finds: "If they are aesthetically designed, high-rise buildings can also be higher than 100 meters in selected places." -Limit is lifted.
The city council group Die Grünen-Pink Liste also thinks it is right to ask the citizens again before the 100 meters are exceeded.
But: "We don't think it's expedient to carry out city-wide votes on individual construction projects," says parliamentary group leader Anna Hanusch.
She also defends the citizens' report for the Paketposthalle area:
In the expert opinion, in which 112 randomly selected Munich residents participated, a majority voted in favor of building the towers.
The citizens' initiative, on the other hand, criticizes the report for being non-transparent, unbalanced and not a democratic form of participation.
