THE Davao City councilors are asking cooperation from lot owners at Shrine Hills to participate in the committee hearings for the proposed
Urban Ecological Enhancement Sub-Zone (Shrine Hills) (UEESZ) provision of the city's Zoning Ordinance.
Councilors Melchor J. Quitain Jr. and Jesus Joseph Zozobrado, from committees on rules, privileges, laws and ordinances and on housing, rural and urban management, noted that only a few landowners attended the hearing Wednesday, April 11.
The hearing was intended to present the amendments to the zoning ordinance that will pave way for private owners to be allowed to develop amenities and facilities for an eco-tourism park in the area.
Embedded in the proposed ordinance is the declaration of the Shrine Hills as UEESZ which means that private landowners are given more allowable uses in the area including the establishment of Privately Owned Public Open Spaces (Popos).
Under UEESZ, lots in Shrine Hills can be developed as an eco-tourism park wherein amenities like refreshment parlor, gadgets/sports retail/rental shop, elevated walkway/trail, hanging bridges, view deck/observatory spaces, rappelling and rock climbing facilities, botanical garden, endemic animal sanctuary, petting zoo, and other similar activities will be allowed.
The Urban Ecological Enhancement committee (UEEC) that will be created will determine other facilities other than those mentioned above.
Based on the proposed ordinance, a private owner devoting his/her lot as Popos shall be eligible to incentives, as may be determined and granted by UEEC.
Popos-complying landowners shall earn Floor Space Credit (FSC) equivalent to a maximum of three times the size of their lot area devoted for Popos.
This FSC will be applied for the future project outside the UEESZ. The FSC, however, cannot be applied in any building project inside the UEESZ.
"If you want area incentives, you can apply for Popos so you can have beyond the regular height limit of the city and you do not have to pay the P5,000 per square meter assessment fee of above the regular height limit," City Planning and Development Office head, Ivan Cortez said yesterday.
Cortez also clarified to a landowner from a known residential developer yesterday that those landowners in the area who do not want to develop their lot as Popos can transfer their FSC to its sister companies that may need it.
Based on the provision that "A landowner who will apply or transfer the FSC shall be barred from altering the Popos or withdrawing the Popos from which an FSC was earned. Deliberate alteration of the Popos in this case renders the landowner liable to refund to the city the computed value of the FSC and other applicable penalties under Article XIV, Section 17 of the Amended Zoning Ordinance."
Since only a limited number of stakeholders attended yesterday, Quitain said that they will conduct another committee hearing on May 3, 2018, within the Shrine Hills area so that more landowners can come and express their stand on the amendments of the zoning ordinance that may affect them.