Leuven - Vaartkom Urban Development

In Leuven, a new site is being developed on the outskirts of the city center, in the ‘Vaartkom’ district. The location of this site is ideal. It is inside Leuven’s ring road, very near the city center, and at the same time easily accessible from the ring road.

Leuven is an upcoming city for real estate investors as a result of its close proximity to Brussels, while at the same time being much less congested by traffic jams. This creates attention from office investors. Moreover, because of its young population and the presence of the University of Leuven, there are also many residential projects under development.

The part of the city where Ghelamco is working, known as the ‘Vaartkom’, and which was previously known for its industrial activities, such as brewing and cigar-making, has undergone a radical transformation over the last 4 years.

This image has changed drastically with the help of real estate developers, such as Ghelamco, who, in close co-operation with the city authorities, saw the potential of this site and invested in new projects and infrastructure, to create a new vibrant environment in which people can work, live and shop.

In line with its strategy of diversified high-end urban developments, Ghelamco is creating three separate projects in this area:

• Waterside is a top-class residential and retail project located directly on the waterfront. 113 apartments and 2,740 m² of retail floor space have already been delivered.
• Vander Elst / Wintermans used to be a cigar factory, but is now being transformed into a mixed project of office and retail space, while retaining the historic facade of the old factory.
• Waterview will be a mixed project at the Vaartkom, offering housing to more than 500 students and also including retail floor space and providing parking for 1,000 cars on the outskirts of the city.

You can find more details about each of the individual projects that make up this urban development scheme under its separate web reference.