Negotiations about the 36 hectare company premises of the specialty chemicals manufacturer Clariant in the east of Offenbach, which the city, which is suffering from space shortages, had long wanted to acquire, dragged on for years. Then, exactly one year ago, the city and Clariant reached an agreement surprisingly quickly: The city bought the site for 36.5 million euros. And barely a year later, Offenbach's Lord Mayor Felix Schwenke was able to announce that Samson AG, which had previously been based in Frankfurt, had bought 14.3 hectares of this industrial wasteland, largely unused for many years, in order to rebuild its production and to take up its headquarters there as well. An extremely positive development for the city, but also a real challenge for the planners in urban societies, such as Daniela Matha,the managing director of Inno Innovationscampus Offenbach GmbH said on Thursday.

Jochen Remmert

Airport editor and correspondent Rhein-Main-Süd.

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    Together with Lord Mayor Felix Schwenke (SPD) and Head of Planning Paul-Gerhard Weiß (FDP), she explained the updating of the development concept for the area.

    The point is not simply to plan in less time than originally estimated.

    Because the city could not expect that a large company like the international valve manufacturer Samson would move completely to Offenbach and acquire more than half of the old Clariant area, the planning initially assumed a more detailed marketing.

    With a corresponding concept, Offenbach then applied for funding from the federal government and the State of Hesse for the urban development of the area.

    The remaining area is to be opened

    The concept must now be retained to such an extent that the funding commitments made in February may not expire. Green areas such as the old factory park and the Kuhmühltal are to be preserved and a network of smaller green areas should contribute to climate protection. The remaining area is to be opened up and integrated into the Offenbach route network. In addition, the distinctive old industrial buildings are to be preserved. Interim use is already being sought for these.

    After Samson's decision to move, the demand for the remaining space has increased, as managing director Matha further reported. There is demand for larger areas suitable for productions as well as for smaller areas. The largest contiguous plot of land that is still available, however, only measures 3 to 3.5 hectares. Exactly how much land is still to be given after the so-called integrated urban development concept has been adapted to the new location cannot be said at the moment.

    The redevelopment of the floor is also part of the development concept. It was clear to everyone involved from the start that around 179 years of manufacturing chemical products had not passed without possibly massive contamination of the ground. And so that was exactly the most delicate point in the counting sales negotiations with the former owner Clariant and the city. But because the city could not initially estimate the extent of the burden and what costs would be associated with eliminating it, Offenbach Schwenke insisted on comprehensive information from the Darmstadt Regional Council before purchasing and reducing the corresponding risks in the purchase price included. Schwenke admitted on Thursday, however, that although one knows a large part of the loads,but almost certainly not all of them.

    According to Matha, the remediation plan for the site also includes groundwater remediation. However, it has already emerged that the flows are different from what Clariant assumed. It remains to be seen whether this will have any consequences, and if so, which ones. As far as polluted earth is concerned, the entire area should not be removed, but where new construction is being carried out, as it was said on Thursday. As far as soil remediation and disposal are concerned, a lot of relevant experience was gained in the remediation of the port area, which once housed an oil store, Matha continued. In any case, one will proceed in close coordination with the regional council in Darmstadt.

    Despite all the imponderables and additional planning work, all representatives of the city were visibly relaxed in view of the extremely positive development on the innovation campus on Thursday.