There is no space in Dietzenbach to achieve ecological balance in the planned construction area

In Dietzenbach, the mega construction project “South Grenzstrasse – Die Hainäcker” once again sparks discussions.

DITZENBACH – Giving nature a boost to grow and flourish in a district town doesn’t sound so easy. Members of the Building Committee, including Green Party votes, have now waved a proposal from the municipality that would enable the Werkmann Group’s Massiv-Bau GmbH to implement compensatory measures for interventions in nature not in Ditzenbach, but in the financing of neighboring municipalities. “Compensatory measures are currently not available in the Ditzenbach area,” says the administration.

Once again, the huge construction project “Grenzstrasse South – De Heinecker” sparks discussions in political committees. Until about the middle of last year, the project, which includes multifamily, atrium, terraced and semi-detached homes, was controversial. Not only were city councilors concerned about the concept of sanitation, traffic conditions and the height of the buildings, but residents of Grenzstrasse had also complained strongly beforehand.

After months of silence, the planning process for the buildings will now continue publicly from around February, Mayor Dieter Lange told the committee. Werkmann really wants to ensure environmental balance with regard to interventions in nature and the landscape. This entails, among other things, potential compensation in relation to Gehrengraben’s hydrostructural procedures. In the balance of intervention and negative compensation within the Heinacre plan, the deficit currently reaches 200,000 points called the vital environment value point. Investing this in the city is not possible despite the search for alternatives, as the municipality’s proposal says. Areas are too small or too isolated to allow clearance actions, and forest closures, that is, removing areas from forest use, are also “partially out of the question.”

Although the city’s climate protection concept stipulates that compensation and replacement measures should be implemented within Dietzenbach whenever possible, Massiv-Bau GmbH can now invest in environmental points from forest closures in neighboring municipalities if approved by the city council. Projects in Dreieich or in the Offenbach urban area are eligible. The lower body for nature conservation is said to have no objections.

However, a look at the Hessian Regulations on the Implementation of Compensation Measures shows a wide range of measures. Included there are, for example, field edge strips, amphibian breeding waters, tree group plantings, meadow fruit stand creation, green roof areas, walls, house walls and facades, or work on small bodies of water.

During the discussion, Heiko Hausmann, leader of the Green Party parliamentary group, proposed a basic list of all options for eco-points in the city, including the possibility of opening them. “Such space is also important for future construction projects,” he said. He also proposed dividing the procedures resulting from the Heinaker construction project, “so that we can also benefit from it in Ditzenbach.”

Stefan Geisler (CDU) was also surprised that compensation measures could not be implemented in the Ditzenbach region. The former mayor pointed to the Wengertsburg area suitable for orchards. “However, the lands there are being used differently than they should be,” he noted of previous discussions. Unrelated city councilor Jürgen Balzar said that as a private citizen he had already offered the city land for action, but had received no response to the offer. However, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Ahmed Idris, demanded more information on how the large amount of environmental points were generated for the construction project. City Council President Andrea Wacker-Hempel came up with a concrete idea: “Wolwiesenteich is not in good condition, maybe we can invest there.”