HLURB OKs Makati zoning, land use plan

MANILA, Philippines - Makati City has been given the green light by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) to push through with its Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) from 2013 to 2023 and its zoning ordinance, which will take effect on Aug. 8.

The two measures are the first in the country “that mainstream disaster risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation,” Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said.

He said the city government worked hard to come up with a land use plan and zoning ordinance “that take into consideration the hazards and risks in the city, so that property owners can better plan and build structures that will be resilient to particular hazards in the area.”

The certificate of approval was signed by Vice President and HLURB chairman Jejomar Binay on June 28 and published in a national broadsheet on July 18, together with the full text of the zoning ordinance.

Under the ordinance, a bonus incentive of one additional floor compliant with the mandated floor area ratio shall be given to buildings in commercial zones within 200 meters from an existing rail station.

Bonus incentives shall also be granted for firms that develop a network of green and open spaces or iconic landmarks that would give the city a positive and distinct image.

The ordinance also expands the central business district to cover both sides of Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue bounded by the South Luzon Expressway, Yakal street, Ayala Avenue extension, Urban Avenue, Amorsolo street and Dela Rosa street; a block bounded by Dela Rosa and Amorsolo street and Arnaiz and Chino Roces Avenues; a block bounded by Makati Avenue, Ayala Avenue, EDSA and Arnaiz Avenue; and blocks bounded by Legazpi street, Dela Rosa street, Makati Avenue, Arnaiz Avenue and Paseo de Roxas.

To promote disaster resiliency, those building within hazard zones – such as those prone to liquefaction and landslides – shall be required to submit an engineering geological and geohazard assessment report.

The city government also sought to ensure a three-meter easement on both sides of tributaries and designated five meters on both sides of the West Valley Fault zone as open space, with no further construction or renovation on existing structures.