Aarau resolves the Telli dispute with two sites
Aarau is attempting to break the deadlock in the protracted dispute over school premises. Ahead of the local council meeting on 16 November 2026, the town council is entering into a contractual agreement linking the Zelgli site to Telli, thereby making new building projects possible at both locations once again.
This third attempt is more tightly structured than the previous failed ones. Following the local council’s rejection of the building lease agreement on 8 March 2026, the town council aims to defuse the dispute over school premises by clearly securing the Zelgli site. The revised agreement is due to be presented to the local residents’ assembly on 16 November 2026. In parallel, the feasibility of retaining and expanding the Zelgli site has been examined in greater depth.
The pressure remains high. According to the town, there is a shortfall of school places for 18 secondary school classes in the Aarau area, and around 1,200 secondary school pupils are expected by 2037. The City Council is therefore sticking to the basic requirement of a total of 54 classes. Unlike with the first major Telli project, however, this requirement is no longer to be concentrated in a single location, but is to be spread across two sites.
Zelgli becomes a political sticking point
This is precisely where the key change lies. Under the new scenario, the transfer of the Zelgli upper secondary school building to the canton is to be abandoned. Whilst the canton still intends to take over parts of the school complex south of Pestalozzistrasse, the secondary school building itself is to remain part of the city’s school plan. This is Aarau’s response to concerns that Telli could, in the long term, become the sole secondary school campus.
In terms of building development, this means that a new school site in Telli is now planned to accommodate 30 to 36 classes. At Zelgli, capacity for 18 classes is to be secured and, depending on the option chosen, expanded to up to 24 classes. Consequently, new building projects are back on the table within the listed surroundings of Zelgli, for example on the forecourt between the school building and Pestalozzistrasse or along Schanzmättelistrasse. In addition, a new sports hall in the Obere Schanz area is being considered.
Land swap remains the thorny issue
The overarching land deal remains politically sensitive, but is crucial from a property strategy perspective. The Cantonal Government submitted the agreement for the land swap to the Grand Council on 10 July 2026. The plan is for the Telli sports complex to be transferred to the City of Aarau, whilst the canton will receive municipal school buildings south of Pestalozzistrasse, which adjoin the Neue Kantonsschule. This model received broad support in the relevant Grand Council committee in August 2026, but it will only be finalised if all the relevant authorities give their approval.
It is precisely this mechanism that is relevant to the property sector. The building lease agreement for Telli is not a side issue, but the linchpin linking school construction, the decoupling of land use and the future development of state and municipal educational sites. If it fails again, it will not only block the provision of additional upper secondary school space. The reorganisation of the land-use structure between Telli, Zelgli and the Neue Kantonsschule – agreed with the canton – will also grind to a halt once again.
November will decide the future of‘
The city is therefore attempting to break the deadlock by offering greater say and clearer guidelines. According to the information available so far, the revised agreement is to be explicitly geared towards two upper-secondary school sites. At the same time, the procedure for the land swap is continuing at cantonal level. This means that the vote in Aarau is far more than just a local school dispute. It will determine whether years of deadlock will finally give way to a viable development plan for Telli and Zelgli.