The City Planning Office and SEG, which has been appointed as trustee and development agency, present the project’s progress and cost developments in a comprehensive meeting document addressed to the City Council. 

Prior to discussion at the City Council meeting, the report was first submitted to the City Administration for information. In October and November, the report will also be presented to the local advisory councils of Kastel, Erbenheim, Amöneburg, Biebrich, and Südost, which are geographically affected by the project. Representatives from the City Planning Office and SEG will be available to answer questions from council members regarding the report. 

During the past reporting period, important foundations were laid for the project’s further development. For example, procurement procedures were prepared and carried out for the urban development framework plan as well as for commissioning numerous experts in the fields of water, climate, mobility, noise control, and retail, services, and commerce. In addition, the Ostfeld Commission—which is responsible for the SEM Ostfeld and consists of full-time city officials as well as representatives from the political factions of the City Council—has identified preferred options for a sustainable energy concept and a water concept for the urban district, both of which are to be developed in the next planning steps. The necessary preparatory measures were also continued. Among other things, SEG continued the clearance of unexploded ordnance and archaeological excavations. In addition, numerous expert reports and technical planning studies were continued, particularly for the ongoing urban land-use planning process for the new campus of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). Furthermore, in its role as the development agency, SEG continued to advance the land acquisitions necessary for the implementation of the SEM Ostfeld project. 

Intensive cooperation with the federal institutions and agencies involved in creating the new BKA administrative site in the northern part of the development area continued. Likewise, the urban land-use planning procedures to amend the land-use plan and draw up the zoning plan were continued. On May 12, 2026, the city held a well-attended information evening to brief citizens and the interested public on the further development of the urban design concept and the status of urban planning for the BKA. 

In the Ostfeld development area, in addition to housing and living space for approximately 10,000 people, numerous jobs and a diverse infrastructure of services will be created. Among other things, the plans call for the creation of 60 daycare groups, two elementary schools, two secondary schools, as well as community facilities, green spaces, sports areas, and recreational areas. The development of the area will be financed primarily by the increase in property values resulting from the planned development. Like many other cities in Germany, Wiesbaden is using the urban development measure as a tool to create new housing. Upon completion of the project, the city may require a financial subsidy if the development costs exceed the revenue from the sale of the properties. The amount of this subsidy requirement is determined in the annual Cost and Financing Overview (KoFi), which is updated each year. This overview considers and extrapolates the expected costs and revenues based on current plans and assumptions through the project’s planned completion. Compared to the previous year, the city’s subsidy requirement has increased by 76 million euros to a total of 286 million euros. The increased subsidy requirement is primarily due to a combination of falling prices for building land and simultaneously rising construction costs. Future changes to these conditions could reduce the city’s subsidy requirement again as part of the annual adjustment. When assessing the financial implications of the project, the value of the resulting infrastructure—including schools, daycare centers, and other public services—must always be taken into account. The SEM makes it possible to finance this infrastructure in conjunction with the development of the area, thereby alleviating the burden on the city budget. 

Information about the SEM Ostfeld is available at www.mehrwiesbadenwagen.de (opens in a new tab). There, you can find updates on the project’s progress as well as documents made available to the public for download. Additionally, you can sign up for the regularly published newsletter via the website.