It should have been 50 meters high, the residential tower that Bucher Properties GmbH had planned two years ago at the north exit of the Pasing train station. A striking high point, situated directly at the entrance to the listed villa colony I designed by architect August Exter. In the meantime, however, it is clear that this high-rise will not exist: the development plan for the former Weyl site provides otherwise. A maximum of four full floors and green inner courtyards are specified. Just as Bucher’s neighbor has already done on the eastern part of the 2,500 square meter property that extends to Offenbachstrasse.
Investor Martin Bucher – who has already built the commercial building at Planegger Straße 5 on Pasinger Marienplatz and a student residence at Am Knie – has therefore had a new concept developed for his triangular building site at Gottfried-Keller-Straße 39, which he bought at auction in 2018. The latest draft, developed by Bucher’s sister Birgit Bucher and her architectural office “be_planen”, was recently presented to Pasing’s local politicians for a hearing.
Politicians insist: “Green courtyards are planned.”
A four- to five-storey complex is to be built on this corner, with supermarket areas on the ground floor and first basement level, which will take up the entire sub-property, with two levels of underground parking and 113 student apartments on the top four floors. The facades, says Martin Bucher, want to be greened. The ground floor roof is also to be planted. That’s not enough for Pasing’s district representatives, who rejected the building application. “We insist on compliance with the development plan in principle,” says Maria Osterhuber-Völkl (CSU), head of the planning subcommittee in the district committee. “And there are green courtyards planned.”
There are also concerns about the three basement floors, which could result in an impairment of the groundwater flow. In addition, the citizens’ representatives plead for small-scale trade instead of large retail areas. “Otherwise, car traffic will be attracted again, which we can’t use at all here,” explains committee leader Frieder Vogelsgesang (CSU). What is missing, however, are bicycle parking spaces – they are not available for customers or for student accommodation. “But students often have bicycles,” says Osterhuber-Völkl.
The district committee is now demanding a workshop with the investor, representatives of the planning and mobility departments, affected neighbors and local politicians. The opposite August-Exter-Straße 3 should also be considered. From the point of view of the citizens’ representatives, the plans for both properties are “key projects” with regard to a future-oriented, urban planning overall solution for the north side of the Pasing train station.
Bucher himself would like to start his construction project later this year. Provided the local building commission approves the plan. “We expect,” he says, “that the new building can be completed by the end of 2024.”