No exemption yet on zoning Ordinance implementation

BAGUIO CITY – The city government will continue to implement moratorium on grant of exemptions on the zoning ordinance up to the end of this year until amendments to the same is introduced.
    City Planning and Development Officer Arch. Donna R. Tabangin bared this saying to date, stated that to date, some 30 percent of ongoing surveys on zoning shall be completed by the end of the year to address zoning issues affect development projects here.
    She said the city government received 19 applications for exemption from the zoning ordinance prior to implementation of the moratorium on March 22, 2021 and three similar applications were received by the local government after the moratorium.
    The local government department head said four applications for exemption of the zoning ordinance qualified under exemptions from the moratorium included one for telecommunication services while another was is intended to build a hospital.
    Under the provisions of the ordinance on the said moratorium, exemptions from the coverage of Ordinance No. 63, series of 2016 or the city’s zoning ordinance and Resolution No. 306, series of 2016 can be granted through an ordinance and shall only when the intended use was reclassified by a law passed by Congress or through Presidential Proclamations as when the land is released for other uses; when the classification of the land is in conflict with final order of the court; when by virtue of the character of the land, the same can no longer be utilized for its intended classification in the zoning and when the reclassification will be better serve public welfare, public interest and public policy.

    According to her, the four applications for exemption from the zoning ordinance and the moratorium fall under the 4th exemption that is why the Local Zoning Board on Adjustments and Appeals (LZBAA) is expected to act on the said matters pursuant to established rules and regulations as these qualified under the prescribed exemptions to pave the way for the implementation of the desired projects beneficial to the welfare of the public once completed.

    Earlier, developers urged the city council to lift the implementation of the ongoing moratorium on the grant of exemptions from the coverage of the city’s zoning ordinance to allow them to implement their pending projects affected by Covid-19 so they could recover from its effects.               

    The moratorium from the grant of exemption from the coverage of the city’s zoning ordinance  caused suspension of  development projects in the city the past months. - Dexter A. See