Groundbreaking for the New Bierstadt Nord Residential District
Bierstadt Nord's 420-home district breaks ground with flood-proof design
The symbolic groundbreaking ceremony with a ceremonial digger shovel on Tuesday afternoon marked the start of development for Wiesbaden's new Bierstadt Nord residential district. The project will create 420 housing units, including over 200 single-family homes.
420 Housing Units to Be Built in Bierstadt Nord, North of Wolfsfeld
The new district will be connected to traffic via its own access road branching off the B 455 highway.
With a symbolic groundbreaking by city councilors Andreas Kowol and Hans-Martin Kessler on May 7, development officially began for the Bierstadt Nord residential area. The City of Wiesbaden's Civil Engineering and Surveying Office is overseeing the infrastructure work. After the zoning plan became legally binding in May 2017, the office had already completed negotiations with private landowners to balance interests.
420 Housing Units, Mostly Single-Family Homes
Designed by Thomas Schüler Architekten Stadtplaner (Düsseldorf) and Faktor Grün Landscape Architects BDLA (Freiburg), the area will become a vibrant neighborhood featuring a central green space and diverse architecture. The zoning plan allows for a density of 30 housing units per hectare, totaling approximately 420 units. Around 60 percent will be single-family homes—detached, semi-detached, and terraced houses—while the remaining units will be multi-story apartment buildings, including roughly 60 publicly subsidized apartments.
"It's not a given that large-scale development projects like this are managed entirely by municipal authorities. But thanks to the high level of expertise in our urban planning, civil engineering, and surveying offices, Wiesbaden makes it possible," said Andreas Kowol, head of the city's transportation department.
To develop Bierstadt Nord, a dedicated access road will branch off from Nauroder Straße (B 455). All residential buildings within the district will be connected by streets. Bus line 17 will be extended to include new stops in the area, and pedestrian and cycling paths will surround the expansive central green space. Nauroder Straße will be widened near the DG-Verlag building, with traffic flows reorganized through clear markings and a new traffic light system, along with added bike lanes. Improvements to the Leipziger Straße entrance and exit will benefit Bierstadt as a whole.
"Since the city is both planning and executing the development of Bierstadt Nord, this approach not only reduces costs but also ensures comprehensive planning—such as flood protection and wastewater management—is fully integrated," added Andreas Kowol.
The Civil Engineering and Surveying Office has budgeted around €30 million for the district's development, its connection to the B 455, and the four-lane expansion of the B 455 between the Fichten settlement and Bierstädter Höhe. The relatively low cost is achievable because the city handles project management, road planning, and surveying in-house. However, most expenses will not fall on the municipality. Development contributions will be levied to fund the project, and private landowners in the future district will additionally share costs through an urban development agreement, covering public green spaces and land for a new daycare center. State funding is also expected for the B 455 expansion.
"In Bierstadt, we will offer various models for innovative housing concepts and user-preferred land allocation to meet market demands. Bierstadt Nord could serve as a flagship residential project, setting a standard for future developments in Wiesbaden," said Hans-Martin Kessler, head of urban development.
To protect the new Wolfsfeld development and existing residential areas from heavy rainfall, planners have leveraged the natural slope to create a new drainage system that channels stormwater into the Aukamm Valley. The new conduit runs from a green space—serving as a natural retention basin for rainwater—beneath the B455 highway and into the valley, where it supports natural irrigation. For the first time, oil separators have also been installed to shield the Aukamm Valley from pollution.
"Construction of the new neighborhood's residential buildings will begin once the access roads can be used as construction routes, starting in late 2020. The roads will be fully completed when roughly 80 percent of the housing development is finished," said Andreas Kowol, head of the city's transportation department.
The Public Works and Surveying Office's construction timeline outlines the following phases: developing the area with roads and utilities from May to December 2020; upgrading the Leipziger Straße/B455 intersection and connecting the residential area to the B455 from March 2020 to April 2021; and widening the B455 toward Bierstädter Höhe, adding bike lanes, and expanding the drainage system from late 2021 to the end of 2022.
