The project still bears the name “High-Rise Development Plan 2021”.

But it's not just the reference year that's long gone - no more drafts will be published in 2022 either.

Although the technical investigations into the further development of the plan, which dates back to 2008, have been completed, there is still political debate about the locations for new towers.

Planning department head Mike Josef (SPD) recently informed the coalition factions of the Greens, SPD, FDP and Volt about the current status.

According to information from the FAZ, ten to 15 new high-rise locations are to be identified.

But not all are undisputed.

An agreement should be reached early next year.

Gunter Murr

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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As can be heard from coalition circles, there should be a “clear edge” in the high-rise development to prevent the skyline from growing further towards the city center.

Centrally located projects such as the two skyscrapers next to the Thurn-und-Taxis-Palais should not be approved again, the Zeil should remain free of further towers.

According to reports, new locations are to be identified above all in the banking district on the edge of the ramparts and at Ostbahnhof.

This is also explained by the demand for office space, which is still strongest in the banking district and which is being promoted in the Ostend by the European Central Bank (ECB).

Opernplatz remains shadowless

Two locations for smaller high-rise buildings, each 60 meters high, are therefore planned at the Ostbahnhof: at the point where the Ostbahnhof station building, which is no longer used, is located today, and on the other side of the railway tracks on a site previously used by a car repair shop.

The previously planned location for a smaller high-rise building on the ECB premises could move a little closer to the Main.

Utilization of the area of ​​the recently sold former Telekom complex on Danziger Platz will not be increased.

The plans for a 90-meter tower, which the former owner wanted to push through, are off the table.

No high-rise building may be built on the property opposite the Alte Oper either.

There, Signa Holding, which also owns the department store group Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, speculated on building rights for a tower.

But since it is feared that the Opernplatz will be overshadowed, this should not happen.

On the other hand, a location on Junghofstrasse on the other side of Neue Mainzer Strasse could be included in the plan.

This would continue the row of high-rise buildings on Neue Mainzer Strasse.

A high-rise location on Weißfrauenstraße, in which the property owner is said to be interested, is controversial.

A high-rise would close a gap between the Commerzbank Tower and the Winx high-rise on the Maintor site.

However, the towers would also advance further towards the city center.

On the other hand, new locations are to be found a little further west on the edges of the ramparts, with the most important visual axes in the direction of the station district remaining free.

The coalition is said to have already agreed on some locations, while others are still controversial.

For example, it is being discussed whether further high-rises could be built after the Gallileo high-rise on Kaiserstrasse or the Silberturm on Taunusstrasse.

New altitude records are not to be expected

It was also examined whether higher buildings could be built on the edge of the Osthafen, for example on the property currently used by the Raab-Karcher builders' merchant.

The background to the considerations was the idea that the city itself could also benefit from the right to build high-rise buildings on its own land.

However, the coalition apparently does not want to endanger the classic trade in the Osthafen and therefore does not want to identify any locations there - apart from the tower on the mole head that was already included in the old plan.

New altitude records are not to be expected.

The new high-rise locations will not exceed 200 to 250 meters.

However, skyscrapers that exceed this limit are considered difficult to realize anyway, because for such a large volume of space it is difficult to obtain sufficient pre-letting that would allow construction to start with a manageable risk.

At locations that are already shown in the previous plan, the height should be checked again: This could affect the high-rise building on the Molenkopf or the project formerly known as the Campanile south of the main station.

Precise specifications are to be made for use in the future.

Pure office towers that are not open to the public should no longer exist.

Every builder must commit to using at least the ground floor for gastronomy, retail or cultural activities.

In the future, high-rise buildings should contribute to the revitalization of the respective quarters, and apartments should also be provided in them.

The first Frankfurt high-rise development plan was created in 1998 and updated in 2008.

The current update is still based on an agreement in the coalition agreement between the CDU, Greens and SPD in the election period from 2016 to 2021.