Green light for Cape Town skyscraper
Category Newsletter: Article
The City of Cape Town has given the Zero2One Tower project the go-ahead after ruling in the developer's favour.
FWJK Developments chief executive Dave Williams-Jones confirmed the decision, saying the land transfer process for the 44-storey building on the corner of Strand and Adderley streets had commenced.
After it had approved the developer's original plans to include 104 affordable apartments that would cost about R800 000 in the building, the tribunal wanted the number to be increased to 240 affordable units.
But FWJK appealed the ruling and according to Williams-Jones, the go-ahead came.
A much-awaited property development on the Foreshore which was expected to include social housing was dealt a blow when it was announced that it had been canned due to "lack of sufficient clarity in the request for proposals (RFP) documentation" which rendered the evaluation criteria vague".
City manager Lungile Mbandazayo said after receiving legal advice, he had decided to cancel the RFP.
He also cited "several appeals and objections" that contested the application of the evaluation criteria.
Six developers had submitted bids for the Foreshore Freeway Precinct Project and Mitchell Du Plessis Associates was chosen as the preferred bidder.
The company would not comment this week, saying it would issue a statement in due course.
Social justice organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi welcomed the decision to can the Foreshore project, saying it was a right one for the poor and working-class people.
A researcher for the organisation, Julian Sendin, said the process had been flawed and the brief too vague, meaning affordable housing was not prioritised or properly defined.
"The only bid that made it to the second round included only 450 affordable houses but 3 200 market rate houses, This is a token amount," Sendin said.
But the Western Cape Property Development Forum questioned whether the city was serious enough about investment.
Forum chairman Deon van Zyl said: "Whose problem is it if it made a procedural error? We have a right to feel aggrieved."
Author: Bulelwa Payi, Weekend Argus
