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The area of the CVAG depot is located in the Kappel district near the city center, in the west of Chemnitz. Kappel is a residential suburb and industrial suburb at the same time. The district is home to numerous factory and administrative buildings, large arterial roads, Wilhelminian style houses, prefabricated buildings and the trade fair area. In the age of industrialization, Kappel developed into an industrial location with production facilities of international reputation. The district is still considered a business location, even though the structural change has resulted in vacant residential and industrial properties in need of redevelopment running through today’s neighborhood. A particularly large number of vacancies, ruinos buildings, industrial wastelands and brownfields are located along Zwickauer Strasse. In the industrial age, this road provided an important connection between production sites in Chemnitz and Zwickau. Today, it is characterized by numerous urban planning problem situations, including, in addition to vacancies, an oversized street space, high traffic density, lack of street space design, and little quality of accommodation. These and other deficiencies were the reason for the city of Chemnitz to initiate preparatory investigations for the description of a redevelopment area, with the aim of upgrading the urban area through coordinated measures. As a result, a framework plan for Zwickauer Strasse was drawn up last year with the participation of key players, interested residents, associations and Chemnitz city offices. This is to be understood as an expression of will and includes the topics of business & work, living & meeting places, green & open spaces as well as mobility, from which the following development goals result: Securing and strengthening existing businesses as well as promoting innovation potential, strengthening residential quality (pleasant residential location, good supply possibilities, shopping possibilities, recreational possibilities, places to stay, meeting points in the neighborhood), activating green open spaces and public spaces (including redesigning the street, upgrading the Kappelbach), keeping Zwickauer Straße efficient as a main road, organizing it differently and, in perspective, developing new forms of mobility. The upgrading of Zwickauer Straße and its surroundings – between Kappler Drehe in the east, the freeway in the west, the Kappelbach in the north and the railroad lines in the south – is an important goal for the overall urban development of the city of Chemnitz. 

The Zwickauer Strasse, represents a diverse development route and is home to numerous industrial monuments. The Garage Campus fits into this image structure and creates a direct connection to other nearby development sites, including the former Braustolz brewery, which is being converted into a modern residential complex. The former Wanderer-Werke is also located in the immediate vicinity of the Garage Campus. Since 2003, Messe Chemnitz has been based on parts of the historic site, with two exhibition halls, numerous conference rooms and a total of 19,000 m2 of exhibition and open space with neighboring parking. The Chemnitz Trade Fair Center is a venue for events of all kinds – large-scale events, concerts, sports and corporate events, trade fairs and conferences – and is operated by C3 Event- und Messegesellschaft Chemnitz mbH, a subsidiary of the City of Chemnitz.

Another neighboring industrial site is the redeveloped Fettchemie-Areal, place if a former Chemical company. Today, the Solaris Technology and Industrial Park with various buildings, facilities and companies as well as the Solaris Tower are located here. A view from the 14th floor of the tower makes it obvious that Kappel is a very green district. There are numerous green spaces between building complexes, vacant lots and brownfields – nature is also reclaiming abandoned industrial wastelands and abandoned buildings. The garage campus also lies next to a green area with allotment gardens and the Kappelbach stream. A foot- and bicycle path runs along the Kappelbach, which is well frequented and has potential for further development as part of the urban planning considerations, as well as providing a green connection to the Garage Campus.

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