immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Wohnbauförderung

  • Zurich readjusts housing and transport policy

    Zurich readjusts housing and transport policy

    The counter-proposal to the “More affordable housing” initiative is adopted with around 51% of votes in favor. The credit for cantonal housing subsidies increases from CHF 180 million to CHF 360 million. This will provide cooperatives and non-profit developers with additional funds to realize projects in the affordable segment without directly interfering with ownership contracts

    The actual pre-emption initiative was clearly defeated with almost 60 percent of votes against, although the housing shortage is widely recognized. Voters thus accepted the diagnosis of a tight market, but rejected the instrument of a systematic right of first refusal for the municipalities as too much of an encroachment on freedom of ownership and contract

    Canton takes over the speed sceptre
    The mobility initiative is accepted with just under 57% in favor and establishes 50 km/h as the rule on main traffic routes, while 30 km/h remains possible on short stretches and in justified exceptional cases. In future, it will no longer be Zurich and Winterthur but the canton that decides on speed limits on main roads. A change of power that sets tight limits on urban traffic policies

    As a result, voters will strengthen cantonal control of motorized traffic and weaken municipal attempts to implement noise and safety goals more broadly by means of 30 km/h speed limits. For planners and investors, this means more regulatory clarity at the network level, but less scope for neighborhood-related traffic and urban development policy experiments

    Digital rights and premium reduction fail
    The initiative “For a fundamental right to digital integrity” received little support with around 25% of votes in favor. The more moderate counter-proposal was also rejected with a good 55% voting against. Neither an explicit right to a “mobile phone-free life” nor additional constitutional guarantees against surveillance and data analysis were convincing. The canton is therefore not given a constitutionally enhanced mandate in the digital space

    The increase in cantonal premium reductions was also rejected, although around CHF 1.3 billion already flows into this pot today. The No to an additional CHF 50 million per year signals fiscal restraint and leaves low-income households caught between rising healthcare costs and stagnating transfer payments

    Signals for the housing market and planning
    For housing construction in the canton of Zurich, the package means more subsidies, but no new coercive instruments under planning law such as a general right of first refusal. Municipalities and cooperatives must therefore focus their strategies more on cooperation, mobilizing building land and accelerating approval procedures rather than on direct market intervention

    Overall, the vote shows an urban-rural tension. The housing shortage is recognized, but financial incentives and cantonal control are preferred to far-reaching interventions in property rights or everyday mobility. For the real estate industry, planning and politics, this opens up a field in which the implementation of increased housing subsidies becomes a decisive lever.

  • Government council doubles housing subsidies

    Government council doubles housing subsidies

    The Government Council of the Canton of Zurich rejects the popular initiative “More affordable housing in the Canton of Zurich”, which provides for a right of first refusal for municipalities to promote non-profit housing construction. Instead, the cantonal government relies on proven structures and instruments for the rapid and effective promotion of affordable housing.

    The counter-proposal provides for a doubling of the framework credit for cantonal housing promotion loans from the current CHF 180 million to CHF 360 million. This enables co-financing at communal level and thus creates a potential of CHF 720 million. This means that more flats can be subsidised and higher loan amounts can be granted per property. The Housing Promotion Ordinance is to be amended accordingly to increase the upper limit for loans from 20 to 25 per cent of the total investment costs.

    Criticism of the right of first refusal – encroachment on the guarantee of ownership
    The Government Council criticises the proposed right of first refusal in the popular initiative as an encroachment on the guarantee of ownership and freedom of contract. Private companies, including institutional investors such as pension funds, would be at a disadvantage, which could lead to legal uncertainty and deter private investment. This could inhibit residential construction activities and exacerbate the existing housing shortage.

    The right of first refusal also harbours the risk of lengthy appeal proceedings and could place a burden on municipalities and their taxpayers. The cantonal government sees the counter-proposal as a more efficient solution for creating affordable housing quickly.

    Housing shortage in the canton of Zurich
    Demand for housing in the canton of Zurich has exceeded supply for years. Construction activity is below average, which is leading to an increasing housing shortage. Although a large proportion of Zurich’s population lives in long-term tenancies and is therefore less affected by rising rental costs, the need for action remains great.

    The Government Council emphasises the need to stimulate construction activity in order to increase the overall supply of housing and curb rental and purchase prices. The counter-proposal aims to provide targeted housing for financially disadvantaged sections of the population.

    Effective promotion instead of right of first refusal
    The government council’s counter-proposal promises rapid and effective promotion of non-profit housing construction by doubling the framework credit and amending the Housing Promotion Ordinance. This will create a solid basis for combating the housing shortage in the canton of Zurich and providing more affordable housing for all sections of the population.