Impact analysis for the Riverside development project in Zuchwil

Site transformation issues

Given that the transformation of such a large industrial site as the Riverside site in Zuchwil can be expected to have significant ramifications, many stakeholders in the municipality, including ordinary citizens, voiced their concern. Moreover, the project was also subject to the approval of the town’s residents because the Swiss Prime Investment Foundation (Swiss Prime Anlagestiftung, SPA) planned to include an adjacent parcel of municipal property in the realization of its overall real-estate project. Given this background, EBP was commissioned by the municipality and SPA to carry out an impact analysis of the planned site development in the capacity of an independent consultant.

Comprehensive analysis

After completing our comprehensive analysis, we were able to present an assessment of the impact of the planned real-estate project. In Zuchwil, the following issues were of special relevance:

• Positioning, municipality image
• Settlement structure, available space, power and water supply
• Population structure
• Regional economy
• Transportation
• Public services infrastructure
• Municipal finances
• Real-estate market

Dialogue with public agencies and residents

Our impact analysis proved to be an important reference for the ensuing dialogue that took place among the cantonal agencies, municipal authorities and town residents. It provided a sound factual basis for political discussions and thereby enabled a meaningful examination of the project’s impact, including issues relating to traffic volume and municipality financing. In the summer of 2016, a town meeting was convened and the municipality’s residents voted to approve the sale of the relevant municipal property to the SPA, this just 18 months after the same proposal had been rejected.