The Taipei City Government will convert an abandoned supermarket in Wenshan District (文山) into a public rental apartment with 90 units in the first step of its plan to increase the number of affordable housing units throughout the city to 50,000 in the next four years.
Each of the planned public housing units will be about 21 ping (69.4m2) and the rent will be about NT$11,000 (US$377) per month, which is about 80 percent of the average rent in the area, according to the city’s Department of Urban Development.
Inspecting the abandoned building yesterday, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said the city chose the site because of its location in Wanfang Community near MRT Wanfang Community Station and because of the environment of the neighborhood.
“We are not building the public housing units for profit, but to ease the burden of Taipei residents by offering affordable housing. We can also increase the usage rate of abandoned city properties,” Hau said.
The abandoned supermarket has been vacant since shortly after it was established in 1989 because of a lack of business and the city had failed in six attempts to find a bidder.
Ting Yu-chun (丁育群), commissioner of the department, said the housing units would cost about NT$200 million to build, adding that construction would be complete by 2015.
Taipei residents under 40 years old and low-income families will be prioritized for the units, but the city government will work out more details before finalizing who will be eligible to rent the units, he said.
The city also plans to rent out 181 public housing units this year that are located near new MRT stations, including Xingtian Temple Station, Xianse (Sianse) Temple Station and Xindian (Sindian) Station. Rents will also be about 80 percent of the average rent in those areas.
Increasing the number of affordable rental housing units was a major policy proposed by Hau last year in an effort to tackle skyrocketing housing prices.
Hau’s plan to build public housing units on a piece of land owned by the air force in downtown Taipei, however, has met with a lukewarm response by the central government.
Hau also reiterated his administration’s determination to promote the plan, saying it would enhance communications with the central government and nearby residents to attract more support for the plan.
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