(Originally published in the March 25-31, 2012 issue of the Baguio Chronicle ---
a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines ---
by Sly L. Quintos, Associate Editor.)
TEMPERANCE on the matter of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) agenda is what we should (likewise) pursue. That we reconcile with Baguio’s ‘carrying capacity’ and the need for appropriate controls is a clearly-manifested direction in the proposal (to update it). However, the counter-direction we present is that we cannot afford to commit errors in judgement that will likely be disastrous for our city. Going way beyond the dictates of appropriateness is what we all must be wary of.
These are the futuristic words of Architect Raffy Chan as he speaks out his mind on the proposed Comprehensive Land Use Plan of Baguio City.
Chan holds a BS Architecture degree he earned from the Saint Louis University and a Degree in Urban and Regional Planning (DURP) from the University of the Philippines in Baguio and in Diliman. He also has a Master of Arts in Environmental and Habitat Planning (MAEHP) degree from SLU where he graduated magna cum laude.
He is the principal architect of R. G. Chan and Associates --- a consulting firm he established in Baguio in 1982 --- and a fellow if the United Architects of the Philippines or UAP for his contributions to the architectural profession in the field of design.
“If a simplification of our current CLUP agenda is to be made, it should centre on how we --- the public at-large --- can benefit from the proposed update (of the CLUP); on what will be the best for the city in the long run,” he said.
The City Council’s Committee on Urban Planning, Lands and Housing (chaired by Councilor Isabelo Cosalan, Jr.) recently wrapped up the consultations with various sectors on the draft updated Comprehensive Land-Use (CLUP) and Zoning Ordinance and is now finalizing its recommendations for submission to the City Development Council or CDC.
According to Chan, Baguio “has reached a saturation level in terms of development”.
“We have already gone way beyond its carrying capacity in terms of population and development is an easily-winnable proposition in any debate if you are lucky to be on the positive side of the discussion,” he said. “Our sewer systems are over-burdened, our garbage system is non-functional; all our city utility systems are badly in dire need of an upgrade; beyond a doubt, life in Baguio is becoming more challenged.”
Notwithstanding, “a reality that will not go away is that life has to go on for us who opt to stay in this city,” he said. “We have to be continually mindful that we do not blunder and cause our city to die.”
According to him, a very noticeable and distinct feature of the proposed (zoning) ordinance and its immediate predecessor is the inclusion of what can be termed as ‘strip development’.
Such ‘one lot deep’ district boundaries (e.g. along Bokawkan Road, Trancoville, Legarda Road, Lourdes Subdivision, San Roque, Camp 7, etc.), Chan said, “are oddments on the concept of segregating areas --- accepted as a norm in development planning”.
“Historically, this is known to have started with the areas along Naguilian and Legarda Roads which were the subject of the earliest applications for zoning exemptions or variances that have increased due to the predominance of the gaya-gaya impulse of the Filipino --- to imitate what his neighbour successfully started,” he said. Such areas eventually relegated as ‘commercial zones’ is “a crude response on the matter of development, with our government planners opting for the path of least resistance.”
“It seems that disallowing what was previously allowed is considered a path of trouble and does not ring true of a supposedly ‘planned’ course of action from our development framers,” he added. “What the government has given to Juan cannot be taken away from him --- afraid for it to be branded as an Indian giver.”
“As we struggle with the challenge of getting the stamp of approval from our local constituents during the public hearings for the approval of each new CLUP, the addition of these ‘commercial strips’ have become continually more pronounced and have consistently increased,” Chan lamented. “We speculate that these segments as the ‘give’ of our government planers in line with the ‘take’ in getting approval of their proposed CLUPs; to become more acceptable to those that occupy these locations; as their option to engage in their current activities is assured, their support for the CLUP update is in the bag.”
But why make an issue when many people accept such proposal?
“It is what does not immediately manifest but slowly and eventually wrecks havoc on us; as these strips eventually become more heavily-used, they metamorphose into problem strips,” Chan said. “Already, even as we talk about them, the problems are already evident in many locations.”
“Ill-equipped to respond to the demand of higher traffic volume (because the abutting road is of fixed width) and the increased demand for better utilities (water and electricity), these areas eventually exact a toll in terms of utility demand,” Chan warned. “The irony of it all is that most of the facilities thereat have rarely been sufficient to fill the initial demand that originally existed.”
Chan urged that “we put a stop to the addition of these areas into this ‘strip development’ locations”.
“The earlier we reconcile and put more appropriate controls over these potential ‘hazard strips’, the better will our planning response be in the long run,” he said. “We need to get more creative on how we can facilitate this.”
Going overboard on control?
“The imposition of a maximum height per zone as part of our CLUP is practically new; it is therefore important for all not to go overboard,” he said. “We need to strike an appropriate balance on what is practical, acceptable and realistic; on this matter alone, we are likely to chart the sustained commercial viability or doom of our city.”
Under the proposed Ordinance, 12 storeys (37.5 meters) will be allowed only if the following are met: (1) the proposed property is of sufficient size (at least 1,000 square meters); (2) buildable area will be limited to 50 percent of the total area available; and, (3) annotation in the lot-title relative to the buildable area.
“We reconcile with the initiative to put controls over our high-demand locations but we sincerely feel that there are other better and less-hostile options that can be considered,” he said.
He cited as an example a commercial property along Session Road which is or prime commercial value because of its location.
“The value of these commercial estates are at levels they currently are because of the earning potential for returns; the promise of a return of investment, particularly when measured against the maximum utilization of such properties, is what drives the value on these locations,” he said. “But against the untoward approval of the height regulation, such potential will be drastically divided by two because only half of the lot can now be built upon.”
According to him, if the desire is towards being responsive to the ‘carrying capacity’ agenda of the city and having ‘green’ buildings which are more responsive to the war against global warming, the public at-large “will be better served if technology is deployed as our means of response”.
“Options, such as ‘green roofs’ the collection and re-use of rainwater within buildings, and similar concepts can all be considered as the conditional mandates when a larger project scope is desired,” he said. “Such will also result in a mutually-beneficial exchange for a building owner, plus the chance to provide better value for the project.”
In this area, he is proposing an additional 5 percent buildable area if a ‘green roof’ is included in the building design, plus another 5 percent if rainwater is collected and re-used.
“Such prescriptive incentives will pave the way towards being more responsive to the ‘green agenda’,” he said. “The government should manifest partnering incentives through its laws where a concession is given in return for a ‘partnering initiative’ from property/development owners.”
With all other options available, Chan said he is against Section 14 (Height Regulation) of the proposed CLUP ordinance.
“If it should ever pass as proposed, it would introduce a ‘functional obsolescence’ of such magnitude on all of the prime properties in the city in one over-bearing sweep,” he prophesized. “Real estate in Baguio would never be the same again; describing the same as an overboard response, likely to cause this city to slip into the doldrums of curtailed development would not be appropriate.”*
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