Criticism of the new residential building on Ziegelsee: there is a threat of parking chaos!

Criticism of the new residential building on Ziegelsee: there is a threat of parking chaos!

September 18, 2025 in Schwerin will be all about living space. An information event took place at the “Nordlichter” primary school, which attracted over 100 interested residents. The focus of the discussion was the plans for a new residential building, which is to be built directly next to the Speicher-Hotel. HTG Hoch- und Tiefbau Gadebusch GmbH is on board as an investor, and the project envisages up to 175 apartments. Mainly 75 of these units will be rented out as one-room apartments, which are primarily intended for students. But although the head of the building department, Bernd Nottebaum (CDU), emphasizes the urgency of housing, there is resistance among residents.

Residents' main concerns revolve around the already strained parking shortage in the area. With the arrival of up to 240 new residents, there are fears that the situation will worsen further. Although the city administration and the investor argue that there are unused underground car parks, the parking situation remains the central problem. Another element of the plan calls for the construction of an underground car park with 141 parking spaces, but whether that will be enough to allay residents' concerns remains to be seen. NDR reports that these concerns should not fall on deaf ears.

Parking garage and terraced houses in planning

In parallel to these developments, the Schwerin city administration is planning a 6-story parking garage with 356 parking spaces, directly opposite the sports and congress hall. Terraced houses will be built on the upper floors of the new building. This location is positioned between the listed Hyparschaale and the oldest high-rise in Schwerin. The project, which will be presented to the main committee for preliminary consultation on Tuesday, is intended to take residents and the requirements of large events into account. The development plan will examine the legal permissibility as well as possible impacts on the climate, environment, traffic and noise. Schwerin.news notes that health concerns that may arise from traffic arriving and departing near a nursing home and a medical center are also addressed.

What is the situation on the housing market in general? According to a current study by the “Social Housing” association, there is a shortage of 550,000 apartments nationwide, while at the same time many properties are vacant. Rents in major cities are rising continuously, with the average re-letting rent in Cologne being 13.44 euros per square meter for 2023. Social households are particularly hard hit, as they now have to pay up to 28% of their income for rent. The federal government is under pressure as demand for housing increases while construction activity lags behind. To solve the problem, 372,000 new apartments would have to be created annually, but the actual production figure in 2023 was around 294,400. bpb.de highlights the urgent need to improve housing policies.

Given these developments, it remains to be seen how the city administration and investors will respond to residents' legitimate concerns. It is clear that this discourse about living space and its availability right in the heart of Schwerin is of great importance.