Greeks bearing gifts? (no offense to the Greeks of the Trojan War) Recently, a representative of one of the Developers of Shrine Hill has several times offered its 1,700 meter Shrine Hill concrete road and drainage system through the hillside in Ma-a from top to bottom as a gift to the City of Davao for its public use (and maintenance).
The inside of this Trojan Horse is the transfer of risk exposure for landslides and maintenance costs to the Taxpayers of Davao City
Likewise, the transfer would reduce or eliminate Developer exposure to hillside remediation costs. Those are ordered costs that might be assessed to the Developers to return Shrine Hill to its natural state, if the Development Permit is refused. A requirement in many countries, its purpose is to discourage illegal construction and keep costs and hazards to life and environment off the backs of local taxpayers.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will sometimes order the posting of Completion or Compliance Bonds to assure payment of costs for reforestation of mining and timber harvesting sites. So, such a concept appears both legal and enforceable and might be extended in the case of a forested hillside subdivision or one that would interfere with existing drainage patterns, creeks and rivers.
Certainly the potential exposure of Developers to such requirements and costs provides the City with additional bargaining power.
Comments
http://ma-ahillsandresponsibledevelopment.blogspot.com/
JS Baird
January 20th, 2010
GREEKS BEARING GIFTS?
Greeks bearing gifts? (no offense to the Greeks of the Trojan War) Recently, a representative of one of the Developers of Shrine Hill has several times offered its 1,700 meter Shrine Hill concrete road and drainage system through the hillside in Ma-a from top to bottom as a gift to the City of Davao for its public use (and maintenance).
The inside of this Trojan Horse is the transfer of risk exposure for landslides and maintenance costs to the Taxpayers of Davao City
Likewise, the transfer would reduce or eliminate Developer exposure to hillside remediation costs. Those are ordered costs that might be assessed to the Developers to return Shrine Hill to its natural state, if the Development Permit is refused. A requirement in many countries, its purpose is to discourage illegal construction and keep costs and hazards to life and environment off the backs of local taxpayers.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will sometimes order the posting of Completion or Compliance Bonds to assure payment of costs for reforestation of mining and timber harvesting sites. So, such a concept appears both legal and enforceable and might be extended in the case of a forested hillside subdivision or one that would interfere with existing drainage patterns, creeks and rivers.
Certainly the potential exposure of Developers to such requirements and costs provides the City with additional bargaining power.
JS Baird
January 21st, 2010
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrgyMaaDavaoCity/photos/album/0/list
Stacey Baird
February 5th, 2012