After the Grand Municipal Council unanimously approved the development plan amendment in connection with the planned expansion of the BOSSARD Arena on December 5, 2023, the City of Zug and EVZ further developed the project and prepared the building application. This took place on October 3, 2024, and the corresponding construction profiles have already been submitted.
However, there was one important change to the original plan. At the neighbourhood information event in early September 2024, where the stadium expansion and the redesign of the Arenaplatz were presented, some neighbors expressed concerns about the future use of the Arenaplatz and possible additional noise pollution in the area.
The city of Zug and the ECC have since reflected on the concerns and reservations expressed by the neighbors. “The city of Zug has come to the conclusion that it wants to examine the specific design of the arena square and its future use in more detail over the coming months,” explains city councillor Urs Raschle. For reasons of time, this means that the building application will be submitted in two stages, first for the stadium extension and in a second stage for the redesign of the arena square.
The first stage therefore relates exclusively to the expansion of the ice stadium financed by the EVZ with the building application that has now been submitted. “This includes the extension to the north, the single-storey extension to the south – both of which are the responsibility of the ECC – and the relocation of Weststrasse, including the greening of the square in front of the football stadium – for which the City of Zug is responsible,” adds ECC CEO Patrick Lengwiler.
As a mobile construction is planned for the planned winter landscape, this can also be realized independently of the later redesign of the arena square, subject to the building permit applied for. This guarantees free ice skating for the public and schools even during the construction work on the extension of the BOSSARD Arena. The arena square will therefore be excluded from this building application for the time being so that the city can first determine the future design and use of the square. This will be followed by a separate building application in a second stage, with the neighborhood being informed accordingly.
Further information on the “Keep Building” project can be found on the official website at any time.