Ancient trees, meadows and Art Nouveau villas as well as a few chic new buildings: the Haar residential area with the evocative name Art Nouveau Park promises a lot of what people think of as part of a beautiful living environment. But the reality is – at least for now – different. The former clinic area, built a hundred years ago, is more of a construction site than a dignified residential area. Hundreds of residents who have now moved in experience noise, truck traffic, and all the unsightly things that happen when investors and developers find that mature trees get in the way. On Tuesday evening, around 150 residents met Mayor Andreas Bukowski (CSU) and representatives of investors and authorities for a big discussion in the small theater hall.
A lot has accumulated. That becomes clear right from the start, when Mayor Bukowski, in his introduction at 7 p.m., goes far back into the history of the park-like clinic area and then soon confesses: “I’ll be there until 11 p.m..” On this evening, the transformation of the former model psychiatric clinic into a new residential area, which was painful for many, will be dealt with in peace and quiet. After all, it is about the emergence of a district with 2500 residents. Unfortunately, one thing is clear, he says ahead of time: “We will definitely have a few more years of construction work to do.”
Be careful on the roads in the construction area, where residents share space with construction vehicles.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
Chic, modern buildings: Green had to make way for this and, above all, for large underground car parks.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
Of course, there is no mention of this in the investors’ advertising brochures. The ensemble in the Art Nouveau Park is advertised extensively on billboards as “beautiful”. And it also offers a lot that cannot be found off the shelf in any new development area. The Small Theater, for example: When Mayor Bukowski says he wants to ward off all attacks on this valuable institution that brings life and culture to the district, he gets a lot of applause. Only the reaction comes close to that, when the head of the building department, Josef Schartel, announces: “You will be able to enjoy municipal traffic monitoring next year.”
In fact, the longing for regulated relationships is great. The Art Nouveau Park is supposed to be a car-free residential area thanks to underground car parks, with a few marked parking spaces on the surface and no through traffic. There should be designated walking and cycling routes in the green. But so far, says Schartel, everything has been disorderly because the streets have not yet been publicly dedicated and traffic signs have not yet been installed. The municipal council will address this in the near future in some areas. Only then would sanctions be possible for traffic violations. Mayor Bukowski confirms that real speed cameras would then be used to measure speed.
But some are demanding more: walking speed instead of a 30 km/h zone and the complete closure of some streets to traffic. Bukowski wants to check this on a case-by-case basis, with Schartel emphasizing that the overall concept must remain coherent. The evening brings clarification on some specific questions: Michael Zaigler, Managing Director of the Oberbayerische Heimstätte, announces the start of construction for the central residential, office and business complex in the north-east – i.e. opposite the entrance to the Isar-Amper-Klinikum – for the year 2024 on. Aldi is a partner of Heimstätte there and is creating a discounter market. There will also be four shops and a café in the immediate vicinity of the senior citizens’ center and serviced living quarters.
One of the questions: What will become of the Art Nouveau church “Mariä Sieben pains”?
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
And: when will construction begin on the elongated central building in the heart of the park?
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
Mayor Bukowski announces that he now firmly expects to be able to implement improved noise protection as with a new line in the course of the increase in frequency due to the northern feeder of the Brenner. According to his information, the Art Nouveau church “Mariä Sieben pains” could be assigned to a parish again. The district’s social-psychiatric center could expand the old garden center into an inclusive cultural center. And the sports field on Vockestraße could soon be more open to residents. Table tennis tables and a boules pitch are conceivable for Bukowski in the residential area. And about the central clinic building that runs right through the area, Bukowski says that the property has unfortunately developed into a speculative object. Community influence is limited.
Tree protection is a battle theme in Art Nouveau Park. A group of tree friends has formed.
(Photo: Sebastian Gabriel)
Some conflicts are now fought out in court because construction companies disregard specifications and residents resort to self-help. For example with tree protection. A case of illegal felling led to the formation of a group of “Tree Friends” who now closely follow what’s happening in the neighborhood. Court proceedings over a fine notice have been repeatedly postponed and are now due in early 2023. Raimund Raab from the lower nature conservation authority in the district office says that profit thinking often comes before tree protection. The problem is that the damage done is usually irreversible. He describes the case of a Douglas fir where the top was cut off. In the end, that was only done so that the company could save on a taller crane. You need old, mighty trees because of their great effect on the climate and quality of life. The head of the environmental department in the town hall, Lukas Röder, promises close controls to protect the tree population.
“My name is Ziegler, I live near an excavation.” This is how the long-serving, former SPD municipal councilor Peter Ziegler introduced himself to the meeting before he reported on his four-year history of suffering from noise. Head of the building department, Josef Schartel, confirms that Ziegler is unlucky enough to live next to an area that a company has illegally used as a storage area and for recycling building materials. And soon the actual construction will start there – so more noise. As with tree protection, the judiciary is now also involved in this matter. According to Ziegler, another neighbor of the excavation pit is taking action against the construction company.