Schlieren’s most valuable land belongs to the City of Zurich

In the heart of Schlieren lies a site whose land belongs to the City of Zurich but is situated within Schlieren’s municipal boundaries. Covering over 324,000 square metres, it was originally acquired for the gasworks, developed in the 1980s and is now one of the most innovative sites in the Limmat Valley. The building rights are due to expire between 2043 and 2045. Schlieren has taken the first step and initiated cooperation with Zurich, in parallel with the ongoing revision of the BZO.

In January 2026, Schlieren and Zurich signed a joint memorandum of understanding. In it, they agreed to jointly develop the North-East site in accordance with urban planning principles. For Zurich, the area is a strategic land reserve. For Schlieren, it is simply the largest contiguous development area within its municipal boundaries.

A working group is coordinating with the City of Zurich
Landowners and leaseholders had already submitted proposals as early as March 2025. At the IJZ, they founded the Schlieren North-East Interest Group to pool their interests, help shape the zoning plan and agree to the early extension of the approximately 24 building lease agreements south of Bernstrasse. In the north, there are a further 20 building lease agreements. The alternative – allowing all 50-plus agreements to expire in 2043 – is, of course, not something the building leaseholders, who hold plots ranging from 4,000 to 12,000 m², are considering. Switzerland has hardly any experience of reversion scenarios on this scale, and experience shows that leaseholders tend to opt for extensions based on partnership. The site on Rütistrasse and Ifangstrasse is therefore one of Schlieren’s three largest development areas, alongside the Wagi site and Rietpark.

Reinforcing ties, securing the future for generations
Former business development officer Albert Schweizer sums it up. He wants to strengthen relations with the City of Zurich and extend the expiring building rights by 20 to 30 years. This will provide planning certainty that extends well beyond the next legislative term. Even if Zurich does not wish to renew individual contracts, Schlieren is committed to finding a solution based on partnership. The IG has decided to accept the long-awaited decision by the City of Zurich in 2024.

Cycle track and district heating as harbingers
The site is already showing the direction in which things are heading. The Civil Engineering Office of the Canton of Zurich is planning the Velobahn there, whilst ewz is building a district heating plant in the eastern part. The IG expressly supports both projects. They fit directly into the City of Schlieren’s net-zero strategy and send an early signal regarding the quality of future development.

Vision for 2030
The roadmap is in place, and by 2030 Schlieren and Zurich aim to draw up a binding master plan. This will set out strategic objectives and framework conditions for the entire site. In doing so, both cities will establish the planning-law basis for all further decisions. Anyone familiar with the momentum in areas such as Silbern, Niderfeld or Kreuzäcker knows that something big is taking shape in the Limmat Valley. Schlieren North-East is the missing piece of the jigsaw.

Text: Sabine Billeter • Image: courtesy of the publisher