Real estate mogul Gröner: Why he turns his back on Berlin

Real estate mogul Gröner: Why he turns his back on Berlin

Christoph Gröner, an important building contractor in Germany with business in Berlin, has not carried out any construction projects in the capital for two years. Gröner was a generous donor for the Berlin CDU in 2020 and recently presented himself as a convinced social democrat. In view of the exploding property prices in Berlin and the increasing construction costs, he sees the creation of affordable living space as a central challenge.

As a Greener in 2010, the property prices were 700 euros per square meter. Within 15 years, prices rose almost ten times. The high proportion of property costs makes rents expensive for new buildings. Despite increasing construction costs, Gröner sees the main problem in speculation with land that leads to a shortage and drives the prices up.

GRÖNER has realized projects such as the Lichtenberger Lofts or an apartment house in Charlottenburg in recent years. However, its company has not acquired any new properties in the past two years due to exploding property prices and the incorporation of new construction projects in Berlin. The low purchasing power of the Berliners compared to other cities in Germany influences its decision not to invest in the capital anymore.

GRÖNER emphasizes the need for a bourgeois class in Berlin and criticizes ideological disputes that make it difficult to create new living space. He suggests using unused areas more efficiently and accelerating the building law. Despite offered planning concepts for innovative construction projects, he points out that politics is often not willing to consistently ensure more living space.