Development plan for the Baarerstrasse/Railway station area

Zug's city parliament will deal with the Baarerstrasse West and railway station area in the near future. The city council has now presented the revised development plan.

The Zug City Council has clear ideas on how the area of the Baarerstrasse West and the railway station could be used in the future, and is now presenting the revised development plan to the Zug City Council (GGR) in its first reading.

This plan, which dates from 2004, covers "51,176 square metres of floor space for residential, service and retail uses", as the city council writes in its submission. The utilisation factor is thereby 3.6, slightly above the guideline value of 3.5 stipulated in the cantonal guideline plan.

According to the city council's report, at least 3,152 square metres of floor space are to be created as affordable residential or commercial space. The city council goes on to say that 400 parking spaces are permitted in the area, but that "all of them are to be placed in parking halls". In addition, 959 bicycle parking spaces are required within the area, and a further 800 spaces are planned for the public.

People wanted greener open spaces
In 2020, the population was invited to participate online in the open space concept. The feedback demanded "higher quality and greener open spaces" as well as measures against the development of a heat island. In addition, "the topic of roof surfaces should be studied in more detail. A major concern was the question of bicycle parking. "This feedback was incorporated into the guideline project thathas been available since the beginning of the year," writes the city council.

According to the report, the 16 plots within the perimeter of the development plan belong to nine different owners. One parcel is owned by the city, while parts of the adjacent railway tracks belong to the SBB (Swiss railways). The plan is for the development to be divided into four similarly sized buildings. This approach supports the possibility of realisation in stages.

High-rise buildings: maximum height not utilised
The city's high-rise building regulations stipulate that high-rise buildings of up to 60 metres in height would be permissible in the perimeter – and, with particularly good urban planning solutions, a height of up to 80 metres would be possible. The development plan now allows a maximum height of 53 metres. This is due to urban planning considerations.

View across the Baarerstrasse towards the Gubelstrasse                Photo: Rahel Hug
General plan with development plan perimeter.                                Source: City of Zug
Model of the Baarerstrasse West/railway station project, north-east view.              Source: ARGE Güller Güller/SLIK Architekten

As stated above, the 2020 survey called for "higher quality and greener open spaces". The development plan now takes account of the population's wish.

The city council's message adds: "The importance of plants in the dense city as a counterpoint to architecture manifests itself on the ground in two ways: as 'city' trees and as climbing plants. The trees, in geometric rows along Baarerstrasse and freely grouped in the space between them and the railway station, are classic high trunk trees."

The choice of tree species is based on the site conditions, and takes climatic changes into account. Furthermore, in the interest of a good urban climate, the outdoor space will be equipped with a surface that can drain, while the trees will provide shade for the area and the roofs will be greened.

The site, which belongs to the city, has 731 square metres of available floor space, 20% of which is earmarked for affordable housing. According to the city council, the available floor space is to be "sold or transferred to another building area within the perimeter. It is planned to sell the utilisation to the Migros pension fund at market value". The corresponding contractual regulation should be available by the 2nd reading in the GGR.

The planned timetable is ambitious. The city council wants to obtain approval for the development plan from the cantonal building department by summer 2024.