DAVAO CITY — With more high-rise condominiums mushrooming in the city amid a robust real estate sector, the local government is rushing to piece together by the end of the year a policy on building height restrictions.

City Planning and Development Office head Ivan Chin Cortez said Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has directed to have the draft, currently being reviewed by the legal office, finalized and released within 2017.

Mr. Cortez, in an interview, said the city currently only follows limitations set by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), which specifically relate to areas surrounding the airport and flight paths. 

The proposed local policy, on the other hand, would be more comprehensive with considerations for road traffic as well as the provision of open spaces, particularly in urbanized parts of the city.

“Depende sa lugar (It would depend on the area), the farther you are from the airport, the higher the height limit gets. Our proposal is lower than CAAP,” Mr. Cortez said.

In high-density areas where there is no more room for road expansion, the proposal is to ban high-rise towers, he added.

Some developers would also be required to leave the ground floor as open and green space.

At present, the 33-floor Aeon Towers, a mixed residential, hotel and commercial project of local firm FTC Group of Companies Corp., is the tallest operational building in Davao City. Construction is expected to conclude by December.

Aeon Towers will only be dwarfed by the 37-story Vivaldi Residences project of Euro Towers International, Inc., scheduled for completion in 2018.

The country’s major property companies — including Ayala Land, Inc., Megaworld Corp., Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc., and Filinvest Land, Inc. among others — and several homegrown firms such as the Floirendo-owned Damosa Land, Inc. and Alsons Properties of Alsons Development & Investment, Corp. have ongoing and planned projects in the city.— Maya M. Padillo

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