District Administrator and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Dietmar Allgaier, emphasized the continued urgency of the issue in his introduction: "Affordable housing in the district of Ludwigsburg was and still is very scarce. In the current economic situation, more and more affected people are entering a market that cannot meet demand."
From the idea to the foundation
An important foundation stone was laid back in 2018 with the Alliance for Affordable Housing in the Ludwigsburg district. This alliance gave rise to the idea of a citizens' cooperative that not only creates housing, but keeps it in cooperative hands in the long term. On April 22, 2022, the Bürgergenossenschaft Wohnen was finally founded by 17 private individuals, institutions and municipalities.
"In addition to the goal of creating affordable housing, it was a top priority that the apartments remain in the permanent ownership of the cooperative - i.e. development, construction and rental from a single source," says District Administrator Allgaier.
Positive development over the past four years
Since its foundation, the cooperative has undergone dynamic development. Over the past four years, intensive discussions have taken place with numerous municipalities, parishes and other interested parties. There are now also concrete expressions of interest from beyond the district boundaries. Nine municipalities are already members of the cooperative and four municipalities have contributed land. The citizens' cooperative currently has 54 members.
Managing Director Andreas Veit drew a positive balance in the administrative committee: "The citizens' cooperative housing is a success story. It is a prime example of how affordable housing can be created in the long term when municipalities and the district join forces - we can be proud of this development. If the state of Baden-Württemberg now gets involved beyond the state housing subsidy, even more urgently needed affordable housing can be made available to the tight market even faster. True to the motto: Together we can achieve even more."
Concrete projects in several municipalities
Significant progress has also been made with construction projects. In Remseck, living space with a total of 875 square meters of living space has already been realized. In Bönnigheim, a project with 18 residential units is being built using modern timber construction methods. Eleven residential units in solid construction are currently planned for Hemmingen. In Tamm, a further project with around 15 residential units and a four-group daycare center is to be implemented.
In addition, further land is available in Sachsenheim-Birkenfeld with potential for around 24 residential units and in Korntal-Münchingen, where around 33 new residential units are planned.
Current tasks therefore include in particular the acquisition of funding for the project in Bönnigheim, the planned start of construction there, the continuation of planning in Hemmingen and Tamm and the acquisition of further strategic members to strengthen the capital base.
The challenge of implementation
Despite the positive development, the cooperative continues to face challenges. High construction costs, increased interest rates, a required equity investment of at least 20 percent - the target is 30 percent - and an unreliable funding environment in Baden-Württemberg are making implementation more difficult.
