ᐅ Building in Frechen-Königsdorf

A 1000m2 (12,000 sq ft) plot of land for a single-family house? Or is the plot intended to be divided for several single-family homes, or is it rather the project of a developer for a multi-family building? The building authority’s requirement for a usage study before purchase is somewhat unusual. Or is the plot located in an established residential area with design regulations and requirements for urban integration of new buildings?

1000 m² (12,000 sq ft) is generous for a single-family house plot. A semi-detached house would be possible here, but we want a detached single-family home. This way, the children can at least play freely in the garden. I recently visited a spacious single-family house on a 550 m² (6,000 sq ft) plot. The garden was extremely small, and just a few meters beyond the property boundary, the next house was already standing, with a direct view of the terrace from an estimated 15-20 m (50-65 ft) away. We don’t like that. We are looking for as much privacy as possible and a garden that cannot be overlooked. That’s why we really appreciate when older, larger plots come up for sale. In a new development area nowadays, that’s unthinkable. 700 or 800 m² (7,500 or 8,600 sq ft) would certainly be enough as well, but offers like that only come up maybe once a quarter, if at all, and then it shouldn’t fail just because of a few square meters too many.

The building authority only briefly informed me that they had recently inspected the plot (apparently several inquiries are coming in at the moment) and formed the opinion that they would approve a one-and-a-half or two-story building, as well as a building with a full floor plus a recessed roof (setback roof). They could not provide any further details; it is rather the architect's task to develop an overall concept that they can then evaluate. Previously, they said it wouldn’t make sense to schedule an appointment during the construction consultation hours. That surprised me as well...

Unusual approach. I have only encountered this so far in particularly demanding urban planning situations, such as heritage conservation zones or areas with detailed design regulations. However, this would typically be the case for a historic city center. What is the city of Frechen’s justification for requiring such a planning-related preliminary service from the potential buyer in this case? Is the seller a private individual or the city of Frechen?

Another possibility is that the plot is located in the so-called "outer area" according to § 35 of the Federal Building Code, outside or on the outskirts of built-up areas. This would also explain the unusual plot size. Are there any additional requirements under the land use ordinance? Information on site coverage ratio/floor area ratio, building lines, building boundaries?

Reasoning from the building authority see private message....

Plot in an outer area.... no, not really....

The plot size was not unusual in the past. The house there was built in the early 1960s, and the residential area contains many similar or even park-like plots....

Cologne-Hahnwald, for example, is a significantly newer area where such large plots also exist..... this is certainly not standard, but also not that unusual (except in most new housing developments today).

Ah, the neighboring municipality 🙂

@R.Hotzenplotz: The plot is south of the railway line but north of the A4 highway?

Then try googling "Save the Buschbeller Forest!"

Just south of the highway rest area, there is also a somewhat larger quartz quarry.

The forest also serves as a windbreak with a filtering effect. It filters air pollutants caused by the quartz sand open-pit mine, the A4 highway, the new Buschbell bypass currently under construction, and other roads (planned projects also include the L361n and the expansion of the Frechen highway rest area). According to the plans of the quartz companies, the next extraction phase (winter 2016/2017) will involve cutting down the “emission protection forest.” Gradually, the entire forest is expected to be cleared. In our assessment, the existing environmental burdens for the residents will continue to increase.

Königsdorf also offers quick access to Cologne for secondary schools.

Thank you Caspar2020,

yes, you have described the situation correctly.

I will need to read it again carefully later. The way the section you quoted reads, you almost come to the conclusion to just write the whole thing off, as it involves unpredictable or difficult-to-assess risks....

Good thing I posted here.