Council wants status report on land development permit

CEBU, Philippines -  The Cebu City Council has reiterated its request to the City Planning and Development Office and the Office of the Building Official to submit a report on the status of the Land Development Permit Application of AppleOne Properties, Inc.

The Council has first requested the report two weeks ago. The City Council has deferred the issuance of the building permit for AppleOne Properties' housing project in Banawa Heights pending the issuance of a Land Development Permit.

AppleOne Properties will be developing a high-end community housing comprising of 19 buildings in Sitio Banawa, Guadalupe, Cebu City. Councilor Noel Wenceslao said that the development permit is still pending at the city planning and development office.

He said the permit will go through the City Council's approval if it will be submitted by the CPDO.

The Council has also requested CPDO, Council's Committee on Urban Planning, and Cebu City Zoning Board to review the laws and ordinances in the application of development plan of condominium projects in the city.

This, after City Councilor Gerardo Carillo reviewed the case of AppleOne Properties, Inc. and found out that the said housing developer is applying for a condominium project.

Carillo said that there should be a clear guideline on the issuance of application for development plan in a certain project. He said that if AppleOne Properties Inc. applied for a condominium project, it does not have to go through Preliminary Approval and Locational Clearance under the CPDO.

The City Council has referred the case to the City Legal Office for comment and recommendations on the process that the housing developer has undergone.

In a letter, AppleOne Properties Chief Operations Officer Ferdinand Vargas said that the company's construction of retaining wall in its housing project is now nearing completion.

The company was asked to construct a retaining wall in its construction site after a certain Mira Ting, a resident of Forest Hills in Banawa, requested the Council to check on the development site of the firm due to alleged potential hazards of its backfilling operation.

Vargas said that the company has already laid out the metal bars for the main foundation of the retaining wall, adding that the company has been following the necessary requirements for the safety measure in its construction site. (FREEMAN)