Mayor Benz: “Citizens decide on the future use of the area”
DARMSTADT-ARHEILGEN – The city council of the science city of Darmstadt decided at its meeting on Wednesday (20th) to repeal the project-related development plan A 43 (Frankfurter Landstraße 171-173).
The plan, legally binding since March 17, 2022, envisioned a residential and commercial building: a grocery store, 15 apartments – eight of which were publicly subsidized – and an underground parking garage with 41 spaces. Since the project will not be pursued further, Section 12, Paragraph 6 of the German Federal Building Code (Baugesetzbuch) provides for the repeal of project-related development plans.
With the repeal, the previously valid development plans A 7.1 ("An der Reitbahn") and A 7.2 ("Around Kleine Brückenstraße") will come into force again. The specifications set forth therein will therefore again apply to future construction projects.
Voices from the magistrate
Mayor and Head of Economic Affairs Hanno Benz stated:
"With this decision, we have paved the way to terminate the project, which was rejected by large sections of the Arheilgen community, and to allocate this area to a use that is acceptable to the residents. Together with the residents, we will decide what will happen to the area."
Planning Director Michael Kolmer added:
"The revocation is a formal consequence of the decision not to implement the construction project. In doing so, we are establishing clarity under planning law and reactivating the previously valid provisions of the development plan A 7.1."
Procedure and outlook
The City Council passed the resolution to prepare and publish the plan on June 24, 2025. The public consultation took place from June 30 to July 30, without any comments from the public.
The draft repeal statute is now to be adopted as a statute by the City Council shortly. The repeal will then take effect through public announcement.
