Living by the water after turbulent times

In his capacity as alderman of Smallingerland, Fred Veenstra was at the forefront of the ‘Drachtstervaart Area Development’ project. Almost 25 years later, he is back at the municipality, this time as the mayor, and in early June, he attended the opening of the new transient marina on the Drachtstervaart. This opening marked the official handover of the homes in the ‘Waterfront Drachtstervaart’ neighbourhood. 

Veenstra still clearly remembers some of the challenges. ‘It was around 2009, and due to the Coronavirus crisis, the entire project stalled. The original project developer couldn’t manage it financially anymore. We felt the project had to continue. But how? We had some pretty emotional discussions.’

The project got back on track because VanWonen became the municipality’s primary contractor, says Alfred Bolks. ‘At first, as a property developer, we were only supposed to acquire the lots ready for construction. However, to rescue the project, we assumed all the responsibilities of the previous developer. This resulted in a completely different contract, now encompassing infrastructure development, land development, and the related risks.’

The chosen location also caused headaches, Veenstra recalls: ‘It was right next to a zoned industrial area.’ Bolks adds: ‘The businesses there saw serious obstacles to their operations, with a new residential area next door.’ Veenstra: ‘Luckily, we found a good solution. This included our creative idea for the landfill that was there and needed remediation. We turned it into a noise barrier. That way we had the necessary buffer from the industrial area, and with the housing development, we could pay the remediation costs.’

Another challenge emerged with the excavation of the old Drachtstervaart canal, extending it into Drachten’s city centre to create a new gateway to the Frisian lakes. A major issue arose from widespread contamination found within the old dikes, coupled with difficulties because of the previous developer’s non-compliance with the contract. ‘But it had to proceed; the canal needed to be opened, as per our agreement. Everyone was on board, though the municipality had to chip in a substantial sum,’ Veenstra explained.

The obstacles have been overcome, the hurdles cleared, the paperwork finalized, and the final building work is nearly complete. The result is impressive. Bolks: ‘It’s unique that almost all 900 homes in this project have a boat mooring right at their doorstep. You can sail straight onto the Frisian lakes!’

Veenstra: ‘And from this new neighbourhood, you are just a five-minute bike ride away from a sidewalk café in the city centre.’ The mayor praised the persistence of the partners involved in the project. ‘This was a project with many different interests, purposes and hurdles, demanding excellent collaboration. Thanks to this, we were able to keep the main aspects of the project intact throughout all those years.’

Bolks: ‘Yes, as partners we always kept an eye on each other’s interests and challenges, always seeking solutions together. ‘That’s a strong foundation. And even though it stretched on much longer than we had planned, we always had this deep trust: This project is so remarkable, it’s bound to succeed in the end.’

This article appeared in Binnenlands Bestuur magazine on 27 June.