© dpa
The topping-out wreath is lifted by a crane at the topping-out ceremony for 337 municipal rental apartments and a daycare center on Hallesches Ufer.
© dpa
The construction site at Hallesches Ufer.
On Hallesches Ufer in Kreuzberg, 337 apartments are being built in a prime inner-city location.
Contrary to the trend in many parts of Berlin's city center, the apartments are to be affordable for normal citizens and thus not contribute to gentrification, i.e. the displacement of many people from their traditional neighborhoods. This was emphasized by Building Senator Christian Gaebler (SPD) and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg City Councilor Florian Schmidt (Green Party) at the topping-out ceremony in Kreuzberg on Thursday.
According to the municipal housing company Degewo, the new neighborhood on the site of the former postal check office should be ready by the end of 2024. More than 80 million euros have been invested. Three-quarters of the apartments will be offered in the subsidized segment for holders of residential entitlement certificates (WBS), i.e. people with a small budget, for net rents starting at 6.50 euros per square meter. The remaining apartments will be offered for prices starting at 11.50 euros per square meter. The project is complemented by a daycare center, among other things.
The area is being developed jointly by Degewo and the private investor Art-Invest Real Estate. The overall concept includes apartments in six buildings as well as a wide variety of office and commercial space, which will be created in the high-rise building, among other things. Initially, another investor, the then CG Group around entrepreneur Christoph Gröner, had acquired the site. However, the district of Friedrichshain opposed its plans, which included luxury apartments in the high-rise. In 2019, the CG Group dropped out and the plans were relaunched.
In its entirety, the neighborhood now being built has added value for the neighborhood, Senator Gaebler said at the topping-out ceremony. He reaffirmed the Senate's goal of creating more new affordable housing for the breadth as quickly as possible. District Councilor Schmidt described the years of negotiations with the old and the new private investor as a "mad process" that has now come to a good end. Instead of luxury apartments, affordable housing is being created.