Development of the Shezidao (社子島) peninsula in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) is still up in the air, despite residents voting to support Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) plan to turn the area into an “Ecological Shezidao,” because there remains a difference of opinion over the details of the redevelopment plan.
Results of the poll, which began on Saturday and ended on Sunday, showed that only about 35 percent of eligible voters cast their votes. Among the votes cast, 59.56 percent supported the “Ecological Shezidao” plan. None of the plans gained more than 900 votes.
The city has not allowed any major construction on Shezidao since 1970 in the name of flood prevention. Ko has pushed for redevelopment of the reclaimed peninsula since he took office in 2014, and he proposed four solutions for Shezidao residents to choose from in an online poll called “i-Voting.”
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The “Ecological Shezidao” plan, which was favored by the mayor, would include an eco-reserve covering 240 hectares and the construction of a light-rail system and a park.
The “Shezidao Canal” plan would limit the eco-reserve zone to 190 hectares, but include a light-rail system, with three canals on the peninsula.
The “Our Sheizidao” plan involves a preservation zone of 235 hectares and would include a light rail system, but would allow residents to keep their communities and let them decide how they want to develop the area.
The fourth option is to leave Shezidao undeveloped.
Voters must be at least 18 years old and must either be a registered Shezidao resident or own property there. According to the city, 14,478 people are qualified to vote.
Ko said that the city had previously estimated that the voting rate would be “a little more than 30 percent.”
Taipei Deputy Mayor Charles Lin (林欽榮) said that the “Ecological Shezidao” plan has the largest development area — 10.8 hectares — and largest eco-preservation area, adding that there would be a housing project to accommodate 4,860 households.
He said that the city estimated that the plan would create four river corridors as well as an open space and a park two times the size of Daan Forest Park in Daan District (大安).
Lin said that the design would control the water volume at the Tamsui River (淡水河) and Keelung River (基隆河). As it only contains a partial landfill, the development plan would proceed faster, he said.
According to Lin, the plan still needs to be reviewed by the Taipei Urban Planning Commission and the Environmental Protection Administration’s environmental impact assessment committee.
The city also plans to prevent flooding and expropriate properties, Lin said, adding that he hopes the plan is submitted to the central government this year after it is reviewed by the Urban Planning Commission.
While most residents support the “Ecological Shezidao” plan, some said that the floor area ratio should be raised from 160 percent. Some city councilors questioned how the city would relocate more than 10,000 residents when the city starts expropriating the properties.
In response, Lin said that the city would continue communicating with residents about the floor area ratio, relocation plan, soil liquefaction and other issues.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS