The takeover comes at a stage when the project is already well advanced. A legally binding planning permission for the Feldmühle site, which covers approximately 27,300 square metres, has been in place since May 2025. The plans include 308 flats, 6,800 square metres of commercial space and extensive parking facilities. Some of the existing buildings will remain and be refurbished, supplemented by eight new buildings.
According to Mettler Entwickler AG, work has already begun. The company is taking charge of the development and implementation of the project under the name ‘Feldmühle, the neighbourhood right in the heart of it all’. In the first phase, six of the eight new buildings are to be constructed. According to the current schedule, the first flats will be ready for occupation in the summer of 2030.
A three-year delay
The road to the start of construction was a long one. The partial zoning plan and special land-use plan had already been put out for public consultation in spring 2021. Objections subsequently blocked the project for years. It was not until June 2024 that the parties agreed on mutually acceptable solutions. The public consultation period for the planning permission plans ended at the end of 2024 without any objections, following which the Rorschach Town Council was able to grant permission in May 2025.
For the town, the site represents more than just a single housing project. To the south of the railway line, a new district is to be developed in conjunction with Stadtbahnhof Süd. The town of Rorschach describes both developments as key building blocks of its urban regeneration. The town council has explicitly announced that various major construction projects, including Feldmühle and Stadtbahnhof Süd, are set to begin in 2026.
Significant impact at Stadtbahnhof
The scale of the project is considerable for Rorschach. On the Feldmühle site alone, over 300 flats are to be built near the Stadtbahnhof Süd, along with space for commercial use and extensive transport facilities comprising around 450 car parking spaces, 54 motorbike spaces and 1,100 cycle parking spaces. This will transform a former industrial wasteland in one of the town’s most striking locations into a mixed-use neighbourhood.
Development is also intensifying in the immediate vicinity. A key planning permission was also granted in February 2026 for the Stadtbahnhof Süd development. Construction machinery is due to arrive on site before the end of 2026. This means that two projects, which have been in the planning stages for a long time, are now moving into the implementation phase simultaneously, significantly accelerating the transformation of the station area in Rorschach.
