The City Government would defer to the position of the City Planning and Development Office on earthquake resistance into a proposal to limit building heights here.
Currently, the city decides building height limits based on zoning and other factors such as the structure’s proximity to facilities such as the Francisco Bangoy International Airport.
Mayor Sara Duterte made the statement in a conference outside Ecoland Residences 4000, whose structure suffered a partial collapse after a Magnitude 6.5 earthquake Wednesday morning.
Davao City experienced an Intensity 6.
The item was approved on third reading this year, with the implementing rules and regulations currently being drafted.
“We really need that ordinance not just for disasters but also para sa urban planning natin because of foot and traffic congestion,” she said.
“But because I am not an urban planner and engineer, we leave it to the CPDO which is assisting the City Council and the City Engineer’s Office with regards to engineering requirements.”
Earlier this year, the city government created a committee that would approve the height of buildings to be constructed in the city.
The proposal will form part of the amendments of the 2013 Zoning Ordinance.
The measure will require developers to seek the approval of a committee called the Buildings and Structures Height Regulation Committee, aside from a height clearance permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
The earlier version of the ordinance only required developers to obtain the height clearance from the CAAP.
The committee shall be composed of the City Mayor or the City Administrator as the chair, the City Building Official as the vice chair along with the City Planning and Development Coordinator. Other members of the committee are the City Engineer, City Architect, City Legal Officer, SP Chairperson or representative of the committee on housing and urban development, a representative from CAAP, the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, and the United Architects of the Philippines.
The membership of the Committee may be increased or decreased as necessary by the City Mayor upon recommendation of the Committee.
The Committee shall have the following functions and responsibilities:
• to act on all applications for building and structure height limits above the regular height set by the city for approval or disapproval; To determine the total floor area generated above the regular height limit that can be assessed for premium regulatory fees;
• to review, evaluate and consider Additional Floor Space Credits in the assessment of premium regulatory fees;
• and, to grant certificates for allowable height above the regular limit; to submit recommendations and resolutions to the sangguniang panglungsod pertaining to height regulation policies and other related schemes; and to perform such other functions necessary and proper in carrying out the provisions of the ordinance. (Photo by Bing Gonzales)
