The decision has been made: Gmunder senior citizens' housing project is coming to Hirschbergstraße

Created: 05/27/2022, 08:00

By: Gerti Reichl

The “Housing for the Elderly” project is to be implemented on this communal area on Hirschbergstrasse in Gmund.

© Thomas Plettenberg

It is already certain that the “Housing for the Elderly” project is coming.

Now, after a detailed debate and against two votes, the municipal council has also decided on a location: Hirschbergstrasse.

Gmund

– A lot of preparatory work has already been done: a retreat, an expert workshop, an event with citizens.

The municipal council also undertook an information trip to a similar project in the district of Traunstein before taking a fundamental decision for the “Housing for the Elderly” project at a special meeting in November.

"Housing in old age": needs for up to 30 residential units determined

The municipality is accompanied by a state-funded coordination office, which has since worked out further cornerstones.

There is a need for up to 30 residential units, with 60 percent being two-room apartments and 20 percent each being one- and three-room apartments.

There is talk of 1500 square meters of living space.

A residential group with outpatient care would also be possible.

Also meeting place for seniors and social office in discussion

Apart from a well thought-out room concept that promotes communication, a meeting place that is open to all seniors in the area could be another building block.

Also under discussion is a social office in which a “neighborhood manager” not only takes care of the meeting place, but in turn takes care of all senior citizens' issues in the community.

With the combination of these three building blocks, the main cornerstones of the older population could be met, namely the desire for barrier-free living space, social participation and a local contact person.

Municipality had three plots of land for housing project to choose from

The municipality would have three plots of land at its disposal: an area of ​​almost 28,000 square meters on Hirschbergstraße, for which a development plan that had already been developed would only have to be adapted.

In addition to a 2,322 square meter plot of land next to the parking lot for the Kaltenbrunner lido, the 41,000 square meter municipal area on Finsterwalder Straße, the "Dürnbacher Feld", would also be possible.

To make the decision easier, a detailed assessment of all three areas was available, with all the advantages and disadvantages as well as distances to utilities.

"Housing in old age": The fear of a "half-baked project"

All of that was not enough for Michael Huber (Greens).

"I'm still not 100% clear as to what exactly we aim to do, who the target group is," complained Huber.

It is premature to commit to this "very meaningful and important project".

He thinks it makes sense to wait for the next workshop planned for July.

Group colleague Laura Wagner also saw a “need to speak” and did not believe in having a “half-baked project” in the end.

Read here about a project in Bad Wiessee: "Service-Living" now on a larger scale

The majority saw it differently.

"We want to move forward and we won't make a mistake if we decide on the property now," Mayor Alfons Besel (FWG) justified the upcoming decision.

That was also the opinion of Martina Ettstaller (CSU), who knew from the point of view of the senior citizens’ representative: “There are many senior citizens who become lonely.

You deserve that we realize the housing project.

Let's get started now," she demanded.

The third mayor, Christine Zierer (FWG), did not believe in discussing everything down to the last detail, including district management.

"That degenerates into hair-splitting." The decision for the property should be made now, "so that something goes ahead".

That was also in the spirit of Johann Schmid (SPD), who suggested querying the needs via the community messenger.

Local councils favor the property on Hirschbergstrasse

Then Bernd Ettenreich (FWG) became specific: Hirschbergstrasse was the more ideal plot of land, and it was also possible to build on it.

"And the proximity to the lake can't be topped," said Barbara von Miller (SPD).

In any case, when she was old she wouldn't want to live on Kaltenbrunner Strasse, between traffic and the railway line.

Korbinian Kohler (CSU) also considered Finsterwalder Strasse to be suitable, since this area is also “in the middle of town”.

After further advantages and disadvantages were discussed, a decision was made: The housing project should be on Hirschbergstrasse.

Only Michael Huber and Laura Wagner voted against.

Decision on awarding the planning services already made

In order for the project to actually progress, a decision had to be made on awarding the planning services.

Against one vote (Michael Huber), the municipal councils committed themselves to a so-called negotiation procedure with a participation competition.

The municipality first determines a number of applicants and appropriate suitability criteria and then selects the applicants on the basis of suitability and performance.

Due to bad experiences in the past - the Ludwig-Erhard-Platz was specifically mentioned - an upstream architectural competition was refrained from.

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