Industrial area - curse or blessing?

Hello dear forum,

my wife and I are planning to buy a specific house. We are both quite delighted and could afford it as well. (That doesn't happen every day ;-) ). The house is located next to a federal road, but the noise nuisance is quite manageable because there are various "speed reducers" and the house/garden are built "away" from the road.

Now we have seen that a commercial area is going to be developed on the other side of the federal road.
A call to the municipality revealed that office buildings / medical practices / a bakery / a car repair shop and a taxi center are planned there. (Explicitly NO logistics companies/freight forwarders or supermarkets)

On the one hand, it is always said that a property loses value when a commercial area opens next door. On the other hand, medical practices etc. should rather lead to an increase in value.
We are both a bit confused about the topic right now – is there anyone with similar experience or "who knows about this"?

Thanks and best regards

Holger

PS: I have attached the graphic from the public leaflet here and outlined both the house and the commercial area to get a better overview.

Hi,

I'll just write down my spontaneous thoughts on the question. The industrial area looks pretty large for the types of businesses you mentioned. Is there already an approved plan that defines the permitted uses of the industrial area? And even if it is currently established that only the businesses you mentioned are allowed, this can of course change later through administrative procedures. Maybe there just has to be enough space free for a long time and a larger company has to promise sufficient trade tax revenue for long enough.

What does the long-term planning of the surroundings look like? Are there any highways, businesses, or similar projects planned that could change the use of the federal road? We currently live on a future highway feeder road, so we’re eager to move away from here!

Are there any noise protection requirements in the development plan for the targeted property? Are noise protection measures (e.g., soundproof windows or the arrangement of bedrooms) mandatory?

Do you have the option to observe the property over a longer period? Sit on the terrace for 2-3 hours in the evening or on a Sunday afternoon and see how the noise levels are?

There still seem to be undeveloped plots in the neighborhood (or is the plan outdated?). How long have these been vacant? Are there any special features in the residential/construction area (e.g., comparatively affordable land prices)?

Best regards

Michael

Hello Wadenkneifer,

thanks for the quick response. Yes - I had already thought about that - the usage could change at any time. The A73 runs directly "next door" and the tracks are supposed to be expanded from 2 to 4 lanes. The properties only look free on the plan (from 2012) - there are already shell constructions there now. Inside the house it was quiet and in the garden there was a noise level I could live with (about a constant 60Db "rustling", sometimes 65 when a truck just passed by). I suspect that the number of cars will increase if offices move in there. We are currently torn back and forth whether this thing could become a loud Euro-grave or rather enhance the quality if more develops there, e.g. in 20 years possibly a second city center.

Hi,

did you measure the volume or is it "estimated"? A continuous noise level of 60dB would be too loud for me. That is at the limit of health hazard.

Industrial areas also have the characteristic that the noise occurs in phases. For retail, of course, preferably Saturday mornings and so on... For that, Sundays are naturally quieter.

There was no mention of tracks earlier. Another negative point.

But of course, I understand that it is difficult to find something "affordable" in Erlangen. We also looked at some "noise properties" and deliberately chose something quiet, which is a bit further outside.

Best regards

Michael

Hello Holger

In the end, it is your decision!!

In our case, I would say hands off. In the industrial area, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. up to 65 dB is allowed, Monday through Saturday, and at night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. 50 dB, with a special permit also on Sunday.

Soundproof windows only help if they are not opened, do you not want to open any windows? Or sleep with earplugs?

Best regards

Hello Erlanger,

you really have to take a look at the building authority to see what is supposed to be allowed in the industrial area. For medical practices etc. alone, it is far too large. It may be subdivided again and rather noisy uses relocated to the backland, but even that will possibly trigger delivery traffic. At night, you have a completely different perception of noise, 60-65db is already quite a lot, especially since you have that every night.

Best regards
Dirk Grafe