ᐅ Plot Selection in a New Residential Development for a Single-Family Home – Prioritization

Hello everyone,

After a long wait, our city (North Rhine-Westphalia) has finally started marketing a new residential development area on the outskirts. As part of the application process, plots for single-family homes and semi-detached houses are allocated according to a certain distribution logic. We expect to have the opportunity to purchase and will then need to choose quickly from the remaining available plots. The exact timing of when it will be our turn is unclear, so as a preparation, we would like to establish our personal ranking of all the plots.

What are our requirements?
As a family of four (38, 35, 5, 2), we want to build a single-family house (~150-160m² (1600-1720 sq ft) preferably without a basement, with a pitched roof) including a carport/garage. Basically, no special requirements that would directly affect the choice of the plot.

Regarding the plot, we primarily want a location for a single-family home that is as quiet as possible within the development area (noise/through traffic) (priority 1 requirement). Of course, orientation and overall size are also important, but come after the first factor.

What does the development plan specify?
Here are what I consider the most important details from the development plan, which apply equally to all offered plots:

• 2 full stories with floor area ratio of 0.4 and total floor space ratio of 0.8
• Base height max. 0.5m (1.5 ft), eaves height max. 6.5m (21 ft), ridge height max. 11.0m (36 ft)
• Roof type:
• If two full stories:
• Flat roof or shed roof with pitch between 22° and 30°.
• Alternatively, stepped stories with flat roof or low-pitched roof up to 16°.
• If one full story: no specification regarding roof type or pitch
• Dormers, roof extensions, and loggias are not allowed
• Garages, carports & outbuildings only within the building zone or adjacent to the side boundary. A 5m (16 ft) clearance must be maintained before garage driveways (excluding carports). Exceeding the garden-side building line is permitted up to a depth of 2m (6.5 ft).

Since linking is not allowed here: the full development plan can be quickly found online by searching “Bocholt Bebauungsplan 8-23 Loikumer Weg”.

Which plots are for sale?
There are 21 plots for single-family homes and 7 plots for semi-detached houses on sale. The price is uniform at €220/m² (€220 per sq m) including development costs. The plots are currently farmland and completely flat. I have attached an aerial photo, an excerpt from the development plan, and a non-binding building concept (only the numbered plots are available for sale).

For more information, the full brochure can also be found online by searching “Bocholt Wohnbaugrundstücke Mussum - Loikumer Weg”.

The development area will be a mixed-use zone: alongside single-family and semi-detached homes, there will be a daycare center, apartment buildings, and a playground. To the west of the development is a federal road, so the western section will be built as continuous development (noise protection facing the road; exact design still unknown). There are three larger apartment buildings to the north. Given the apartment buildings in the north and west, I expect increased through traffic and activity within the development — it will not be a purely quiet single-family home neighborhood. Therefore, when selecting plots, our main focus will be on achieving as much quietness as possible.

Questions for you?
We have been considering which plots have which advantages and even have a few favorites. I’m deliberately not naming them yet to get as unbiased feedback as possible. What would be your favorites, and what aspects would you focus on to best meet our requirements?

Best regards,
Malte

-Malte- schrieb:

It should ideally be located in a quiet area (in terms of noise and through traffic) (priority 1 requirement).

What is this based on? No one wants to live in a noisy environment, of course. But if your top priority is complete quiet, then a newly developed residential area might not be the best choice by default.

It is certainly not the vehicles passing by on the entrance side in the morning and evening that cause noise issues. More often, it’s the evening noise on neighbors’ terraces that is found disturbing.

The apartment buildings at least provide some sound protection from the main road to the northwest.

Otherwise, it applies that you can build a habitable house on any plot of land. Regarding orientation as well: every apparent advantage also has its drawbacks, just as every disadvantage also has its benefits.

Very likeable:

.

I might have overstated the quietness: We understand what it means to live in a new residential area (which is currently the case) and we like the atmosphere, especially that almost exclusively families with usually young children will live here as well. We just see that, compared to our current place (a rather quieter new development with only detached and semi-detached houses), it will be a bit livelier due to the higher number of residents. Since almost all plots are fairly square, it should generally be possible to build a "standard house" everywhere – thanks for confirming that assumption on your part. Therefore, we would try to get a plot with reduced through traffic and some distance from multi-family homes.

I just realized that I haven’t mentioned the plot sizes or that they weren’t shown in the pictures. The plots for detached houses are typically between 440 m² and 550 m² (about 4736 sq ft to 5920 sq ft). Only plot number 31 is an exception, being just 372 m² (about 4005 sq ft), approximately 15 m (50 ft) wide and 25 m (82 ft) long. Building a house there without a basement and carport/parking spaces will probably be more challenging. However, the location of the plot is quite nice.

ypg schrieb:

Very nice:
.

Truly a very likeable farmer who creates a lovely corn maze every year and offers a lot for children.

-Malte- schrieb:

We understand what it means to live in a newly developed residential area (which is our current situation), and we like the atmosphere, especially that it is almost exclusively families with typically young children living here.

We enjoyed this atmosphere for 18 years in a terraced housing estate. There were always enough children gathering to play together, and the neighborhood worked well. Since most residents moved in around the same time, helping each other and talking about the construction was a common interest that made it easy to get along from the start.

-Malte- schrieb:

Therefore, we would try to get a plot with reduced through traffic and some distance from any apartment buildings.

Apartment buildings nearby are not a problem as long as people treat each other respectfully. I would just avoid a situation where neighbors can easily look inside the garden from above. The children don’t really mind as long as they play together, and as long as the parents don’t develop an arrogant attitude, everything is fine.
The less through traffic, the better for the children.
The fewer fences along the street, the less trouble with maintenance and damage.

Plot number 21: Few boundaries adjacent to the street and a quiet traffic situation. However, this is only an advantage for people who are able to create a positive neighborhood community and can also handle difficult neighbors without getting upset. There is a lot to read here about petty neighborhood disputes—from both the neighbors described and from those describing and commenting. So yes, there are some challenging neighbors.

Plot number 31: Probably the most private of the available plots. The nearby daycare center (KITA) is not much of a disturbance if access is not through the residential area. Those who are sensitive during the day might want to avoid this proximity.

Choose a plot where the terrace can face west without being shaded by neighbors, and where you ideally have only two neighbors. Put a hedge or a fence along the street side to block noise, which should be minimal anyway, as about 90% of the traffic will be residents, not through traffic.

I would never choose plot 21 because you’ll be completely surrounded by neighbors. It’s not just about your own preferences; the neighbors have to cooperate as well...

I have a corner plot and would never choose anything else.

What turns pink? A public building? A daycare center?
The question is how the parking situation is for the apartment building.
Personally, I would probably choose a plot in the south; with an extended green strip, the property visually appears larger.
(Note, I have not looked at the building permit / planning permission.)