Hamerkwartier Amsterdam Noord. Gaan woningen bedrijven de stad uit duwen?

The housing plans for the Hamerkwartier district in Amsterdam-Noord are becoming increasingly concrete now that the construction companies are ready to get started. The neighborhood is intended to become a two-thirds residential and one-third commercial district. This fall, several former Stork warehouses will be demolished to make way for social housing and mid-priced housing. Meijken van der Heijden, with its vintage furniture, occupies one of these warehouses. Will these kinds of businesses return, and how will new workspaces be made affordable? There are also businesses that will remain and be surrounded by housing. Gideon Hein is one of them. When we asked him seven years ago what he thought of the plans, he was enthusiastic. He appreciated the municipality's ambition. But there are other forces at play. Martijn Overmulder, responsible for business activity in the city on behalf of the municipality, acknowledges that combining residential and commercial spaces is a difficult process. He attributes this to a lack of knowledge about businesses and their operations. There's still a lot to be gained there. By deploying someone like Saskia Rill, the municipality hopes to gain more knowledge and foster understanding. Draka Although the temporary tenants have a little more time to leave now that Draka has been sold, Saskia is still working hard to find alternative locations for these tenants. She also maintains close contact with Rene Siebel of Rewind Music Studios. He currently offers rehearsal space to artists like Ronnie Flex and Trijntje Oosterhuis. He has a waiting list for bands who want to rehearse with him. Rill is helping him find an alternative. Ketjen Independent area developer Geurt van Randeraat had his agency in the Hamerkwartier district for years, but decided to make the right choice in time and is now temporarily relocating to Buiksloterham, a little further along in Noord. Most of the assignments he receives with his agency involve the transformation of industrial estates into residential/work neighborhoods. He explains how complex that process is. Ketjen Independent area developer Geurt van Randeraat had his agency in the Hamerkwartier district for years, but decided to make the right choice in time and is now temporarily relocating to Buiksloterham, a little further along in Noord. Most of the assignments he receives with his agency involve the transformation of industrial estates into residential/work neighborhoods. He explains how complex that process is. Just as happened in the Hamerkwartier district when Ketjen, formerly Albermarle, successfully blocked housing development plans near their business through legal proceedings before the Council of State. Demolition and construction will soon begin around the historic Stork warehouse. Two-thirds of the homes will be for social and mid-range rentals. This rule does not apply to workspaces in new buildings. How to make these commercial spaces affordable is a major challenge for the developers and the municipality. By the end of the year, the municipality hopes to have established a foundation that will regulate the affordability of workspaces.