Stein Election Debate: Future of Weihersberg Project in Jeopardy

Stein's Weihersberg Development Project: Unusual Cross-Party Alliance in Election Campaign Against CSU Demands

Stein's Weihersberg Project Sparks Election Clash Over Future Development

For years, the Weihersberg project was seen as a shared vision for the future by Stein's city council. The 23-hectare site in the southwest of the city is set to include housing, commercial space, sports facilities, and a modern school campus. But less than four weeks before the local elections on March 8, the once-solid consensus appears to be crumbling.

The debate has taken a sharp turn due to the CSU. "The CSU in Stein remains fundamentally committed to the Weihersberg project," states the party's website, echoed in a full-page advertisement in the Steiner Zeitung (Issue 1/2016). The statement is signed by Bertram Höfer, the local CSU chair and mayoral candidate, along with CSU parliamentary group leader Norbert Stark and his deputy, Klaus Heckel. Yet the party is now questioning key elements of the long-developed master plan, pushing for a complete rethink. As early as July 2025, the CSU faction had refused to endorse the publicly approved framework plan—a move that first exposed the cracks in what had been a cross-party agreement.

Two issues are now at the forefront of the CSU's concerns: the proposed underground cabling of the 110-kV power line that currently runs above ground across the site, and the construction of the new school and sports center south of Hofäckerweg. The party argues that critical questions remain unanswered—particularly regarding actual costs and the realistic prospects of securing government funding. The CSU is calling for a return to the negotiating table, demanding a fresh planning process and "transparent cost calculations," as stated in its social media posts.

The party's alternative proposal? Instead of building new facilities at Weihersberg, it suggests expanding the existing primary schools on Mühlstraße and Neuwerker Weg, while upgrading the sports facilities of STV Deutenbach at their current location for use by all clubs. The CSU also argues that underground cabling is not an immediate necessity.

Beyond this, the party advocates for a less dense development, with more space allocated to commercial use rather than housing.

In an unusual show of unity amid the final stretch of the election campaign, multiple factions responded to these proposals with a joint press conference on Friday in the cultural hall of Stein's town hall. Standing before the microphones were the incumbent first mayor, three other mayoral candidates, and a city council candidate—an extraordinary alliance of political rivals. Representatives from the SBG, SPD, Free Voters, the Left, and FDP warned of the consequences of fundamentally reworking or abandoning the Weihersberg project.

Current mayor Kurt Krömer (SBG) emphasized that the project had been developed over years in a cross-party steering committee—one that included the CSU and its representatives Bertram Höfer, Norbert Stark, and Klaus Heckel. Over 2,000 citizens had contributed through workshops and online consultations. For Krömer, the project is pivotal: consolidating sports facilities at the planned campus would free up the old FC Stein forest sports park for urgently needed commercial development. Additionally, Weihersberg would create much-needed housing, with 20 to 30 percent designated as subsidized social housing, he explained.

SPD parliamentary group leader Walter Nüssler emphasized that renovating the old school sites would cost the city significantly more than building a new facility outright—a conclusion he reached after running the numbers. Nüssler also warned of potential revenue losses, explaining that since the city already owns the land on Weihersberg through previous council resolutions, infrastructure projects, the new school, and the sports campus would be largely funded by selling off plots. If the city followed the CSU's proposal—to keep and expand the STV sports field in its current location next to Palm Beach while reducing residential units—around 90,000 square meters of developable housing land would be lost, he cautioned. The resulting shortfall for the city could amount to as much as €50 million. The CSU, however, has questioned these revenue projections, arguing that the city should not base its financial planning on overly optimistic assumptions.

The existing plan also received expert backing at the press conference. FDP city councilor Wolff Fülle, a building physicist by profession, argued that noise from Federal Highway 14, Palm Beach, and adjacent commercial areas necessitated a dense, enclosed development. A more open layout, as proposed by the CSU, could jeopardize regulatory approval. "I assume the CSU's current plan would not be approvable in its present form," Fülle stated.

He also dismissed the CSU's characterization of partially burying the 110-kV power line as a "luxury," insisting it was essential for making adjacent plots viable for construction and sale. Without underground cabling, larger safety buffers would be required, eliminating valuable residential space, he explained. In any case, the underground work is only scheduled for one of the final construction phases, meaning the overhead line—also a point of contention for the CSU—would remain unchanged for the time being.

Two educators, Gabriele Stanin (a longtime daycare director) and Andreas Selz (a social pedagogue), representing the Free Voters and the Left parties respectively, advocated for the planned school concept. They described the existing buildings as classic "corridor schools"—long hallways lined with classrooms—ill-suited for modern teaching methods, collaborative work, and the phased legal right to full-day care set to take effect in 2026.

In contrast, the "learning house" model proposed for the new campus envisions larger units where multiple classes are organized around a central communal space. This design would better accommodate group work, individualized support, and afternoon care. Stanin and Selz agreed that the current buildings simply could not be adapted to meet these spatial requirements.

The CSU, however, maintains that viable solutions could still be developed within the existing school structures. From their perspective, renovation and expansion would be more financially predictable and eligible for funding, whereas key cost and subsidy questions for the new build remain unresolved. Nüssler firmly rejected this argument at the press conference, asserting that funding rates for new construction are actually higher than for renovations.

The next steps in the debate may become clearer as early as this week. On Ash Wednesday, the mayoral candidates will face off in a panel discussion at the Alte Kirche.