New affordable living space for trainees: The planning committee of the city council unanimously decided this week that the municipal housing company Gewofag should build a total of 370 apartments for young professionals. 230 of these apartments will be built in Freiham, and the city will transfer the property to Gewofag.
140 apartments are being built on Leibengerstrasse in Riem. The area has been owned by Gewofag since 2018. In a pilot project, apartments for municipal employees were to be built there, but this has not happened so far. The city has now tailored the usage concept to trainees.
SPD City Councilor Christian Köning said it would be “good for the city’s economic development” if young people were offered affordable housing. Together with 300 municipal trainee apartments on the Innsbrucker Ring (already occupied) and on Hanns-Seidel-Platz (movement in the first half of 2023), the goal set by the green-red coalition of 1000 trainee apartments by 2026 is well on the way to accomplish. Bernd Schreyer (Greens) emphasized that it is important that trainees are not forced to live outside because of the housing costs, but that they “also feel at home in the city”.
13,000 euros construction costs per square meter
Heike Kainz (CSU) made a critical comment, referring to the construction costs of 35.9 million euros in Riem mentioned in the draft resolution. Converted to the 18 square meter apartments, this means construction costs of 13,000 euros per square meter of living space. “If you have to spend so much, it’s not efficient,” said Kainz. You should definitely try to reduce costs. “We only agree because the process is so far advanced.”
When asked, a Gewofag spokesman did not comment on the reasons for the costs mentioned. Apparently you want to lower them. Because he explains that the management has decided to “look at the costs again and then (…) present them to the supervisory board in an adjusted manner”.
Of the apartments in Freiham, 100 will be provided by Munich companies, 90 by the city’s newly founded traineeship facility, and 39 by the “Junges Wohnen” program for people starting their careers. In Riem, 100 apartments will go to municipal trainees, 40 will be allocated through the Azubiwerk. They should each cost about 450 euros per month. Gewofag has not yet provided any information on when the dormitories will be ready.