Areas available for development 2008/09

83 hectares of net building land are being rigorously activated

Some current examples, like the transfer of the E-Plus headquarters to Düsseldorf or Vodafone’s planned relocation within city limits, show the importance of active real estate management for urban development and the city’s office construction market. Making a varied portfolio of sites available in sufficient quantity is vital to ensure that local operations and relocated companies have room to develop.

41 Commercial and Urban Core Areas throughout the city currently offer around 103 hectares of net building land. 30 of them (58.58 hectares) have been designated as Urban Core Areas and reserved for office construction only. In the remaining 11 mixed Commercial/Urban Core areas, 24.41 hectares have been earmarked for office construction. This adds up to a land reserve of 83.39 hectares available for premium office developments.

Aside from a number of development sites still available in existing office zones such as Kennedydamm or the city centre, the bulk of real estate potential lies in redevelopment areas that were previously used for other purposes. Airport City, on the site of a former garrison, and Quartier(n), previously a purely commercial zone, have both been met with an extremely enthusiastic response from developers as well as users.

For 38.9 hectares of the available 83.4 hectares, a binding land development plan exists, which means that planning and construction can start at short notice. The development plan foresees gross floor areas (GFA) of around 950,000 m² – almost four times the amount of office space completed this year. Land development plans for a further 22 hectares are currently being established. These sites could become available for construction in a medium term of up to five years. Another batch of approximately 22 hectares represent a long-term office space reserve.

To sum up, Düsseldorf offers a good portfolio of land reserves for office construction, along with a large amount of redevelopment/refurbishment potential in the city’s existing office zones.

• 41 development areas comprising 83.4 hectares of net building land
• Of which: 30 Urban Core Areas and 11 Commercial/Urban Core Areas for office development
• Short-term availability of 38.9 hectares, sufficient for 950,000 m² of office space