Two sections of a Taipei City Government urban planning project, including 1,044 public housing units, began construction yesterday and are expected to be completed by 2020.
The project’s base is located in Xinyi District (信義), near the Yongchun MRT Station, and is surrounded by Dadao Road, Fude Street, Lane 84 of Fude Street and Lane 80 of Linkou Street, on about 6.4 hectares.
The project was first designed and commissioned to a construction company as a build-operate-transfer (BOT) project during former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin’s (郝龍斌) administration, but the city government terminated the contract in 2011 and Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) administration began redesigning the project after he took office.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
It has been delayed for about 10 years, mainly because of residents in the surrounding areas who disagreed with the number of public housing units to be built, as well as the size of parks and public spaces.
However, a groundbreaking ceremony for two sections of the project was finally held yesterday morning.
Ko said two 27-story residential buildings, with four stories underground, are to be built in the two sections, which are to comprise a total of 1,044 housing units and social welfare facilities, and are planned to be completed by the end of 2020.
The project was only contracted in October last year, but is able to start construction after just three months, which shows how efficient the city government is, Ko said, adding that he especially wanted to thank the Taipei Department of Urban Development for its hard work.
Ko said the city government had held a total of six explanation sessions, two public hearings and 15 meetings with borough wardens to negotiate the construction plan.
The city government has redesigned the plan several times to protect 64 trees at the request of residents in neighboring areas, Taipei Department of Urban Development Commissioner Lin Jou-min (林洲民) said.
“Housing justice, urban aesthetics, promotion of a ‘smart’ city industry and a new public housing model are the four goals of the city government through the public housing projects,” Ko said.
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