Battle lines in Mckinley Road rezoning row drawn

Hostilities between the pro-commercialization residents of Forbes Park and the opposition have picked up as deliberations on the proposal to rezone Makati City draws near.

The usually silent Mckinley Neighborhood Association Inc. (MNAI) met with the media yesterday to air their side on the contentious issue of converting Mckinley Road from a R-1 residential zone to a C-1 commercial area.

In a position paper signed by MNAI chair Marie Constance Gonzalez and president Gregorio Araneta, the group accused the Forbes Park Homeowners Association led by Jose Concepcion Jr. of misleading the public in statements against the proposed rezoning.

One particular question raised by the group was the deed restriction imposed on each lot which expired last Dec. 31, 1998.

One of the MNAI's main proponents who spoke on condition of anonymity challenged Concepcion and his group to show proof of the supposed renewal of deed restrictions for another 25 years.

"I challenge any homeowner to present an annotated copy of the extension of the deed restriction," the source said while adding that none of the residents of the exclusive village in Metro Manila currently has such a copy.

He added that extending the deed restriction is an individual concern of the resident and the association cannot force property owners to extend it.

The MNAI also criticized Concepcion for constantly lobbying against commercialization when he reportedly is one of people who engages in it. "Why is the high-rise condominium project of his corporation inside Fort Bonifacio called "One Mckinley?" Is he cashing in on the good name of Mckinley Road as a site for the good life on a commercial level?" the group asked in a position paper yesterday.

The group also accused the Ayalas of spearheading the opposition based on vested interests. "If Metro Pacific did not outbid the Ayala consortium for the Fort Bonifacio development on whose side do you think will Ayala be in the matter of rezoning Mckinley?"

The group explained that they are amenable to the C-1 proposal of the city council which converts Mckinely into a commercial zone but sets a height restriction that will disallow high-rises.

MNAI has also hired the services of top architectural firm Palafox and Associates to come up with a mixed use plan for Mckinley Road.

In a presentation, architect Felino Palafox Jr. described his "Vision of Mickinley Road" as similar to that of major cities in Europe and the United States.